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COUSIN  rff'ANCK'S  HOUSEHOLD, 


OR 


SCENES  IN  THE  OLD  DOMINION. 


y.:d'^\\ 


COUSIN  FRMCK'S  HOUSEHOLD, 


SCENES  IN  THE  OLD  DOMINION, 


POCAHONTAS. 


BOSTON: 
UPHAM,    FORD    AND    OLMSTEAD, 

122  WASHINGTOX  STREET. 
1853. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S52,  by 

Upn.vM,  FonB  axd  Ouistead, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


JOHX  FOBS  AND  CO.,   PRISTER8, 
C.VMBRIDOEFORT. 


PREEACE. 


It  is  Macaulay,  we  think,  who  complains  of  a  class  of 
historians,  that  they  do  not  give  us  men  and  icojiien.  "\Ye 
have  tried  not  to  forget  our  men  and  women  in  the  following 
tale,  wherein  we  have  sought  to  exhibit,  as  "Willis  has  it, 
"  truth  under  a  thin  veil  of  fiction."  Nor  let  any  of  our 
more  fastidious  readers  run  a  tilt  against  our  taste,  if  they 
find  our  style  occasionally  descending  to  the  lowest  strata 
of  dialectical  peculiarities.  We  have  let  our  men  and 
women,  whether  white  or  black,  rich-white  or  poor-white, 
do  their  own  talking.  "We  took  some  pains  during  our 
residence  in  Virginia,  as  our  voluminous  note-books  attest, 
to  secure  accuracy  in  the  nondescript  vernacular  of  the 
cabin  and  the  hut ;  and  it  afforded  us  satisfaction  to  have 
our  accuracy  in  this  respect  strongly  commended  by  com- 


VI  PRKFACE. 

potent  judges  in  the  case,  while  these  Letters  were  in  process 
of  publication  in  the  columns  of  the  Watchman  and  Re- 
flector, in  which  able  and  enterprising  religious  paper  they 
originally  appeared. 

The  "  poor  whites,"  a  phase  of  Southern  life  not  so  well 
known  at  the  North,  and  to  which  we  have  given  some 
prominence,  are  not  an  accident  of  the  slave  system,  but  a 
necessary  result,  bound  to  it  by  the  immutable  law  of  cause 
and  eifcct.  No  picture  of  Southern  "  institutions  "  is  com- 
plete, in  which  this  is  not  seen  distinct  in  the  back  ground. 
Whilst  we  hate  slavery  more  than  we  can  tell,  and  the 
more  for  what  we  saw  of  it,  and  hardly  less  for  its  influence 
on  the  whites  than  on  the  blacks,  we  have  no  desire  to  wield 
the  vengeance  of  Heaven  against  the  slaveholder.  Alas ! 
we  saw  too  plainly  a  curse  everywhere  silently  at  work,  in 
all  the  moral,  social,  intellectual  and  economical  results  of 
the  system.  But  while  we  saw  weaknesses  to  pity,  errors 
to  lament,  and  vices  to  execrate,  we  also  saw  excellencies  to 
admire  and  imitate ;  and  if  we  have  not  dwelt  ujion  these, 
it  was  because  it  did  not  comport  with  our  design. 

But  works  of  the  present  class  are  charged  by  some  with 


PREFACE.  VU 

exaggeration.     Li  one  sense  they  are  exaggerations.     There 
are  points  in  which  they  do  not  correspond  with  the  reality. 
It  is,  however,  only  in  those  respects  in  wlaich  all  works  of 
fiction  resting  on  a  basis  of  fact  transcend  the  actualities 
of  life.     The  tame,  the  common-place,  the  repetitious  are 
thrown  out  of  view,  just  as  the  painter  omits  many  of  the 
trivial  objects  in  his  landscape,  and  yet  is  true  to  nature 
and  fact.     In  this  sense,  all  of  Scott's  immortal  fictions  are 
exaggerations ;  but  who  is  so  weak  of  brain,  pr  so  green  in 
literature,  as  to  hazard  such  a  criticism  ?     And  who  of  his 
readers  does  not  feel,  and  not  merely  because  the  wand  of 
a  mighty  magician  is  on  them,  that  they  are  drinking  in  the 
spirit,  and  mingling  in  the  scenes  and  strifes  of  Scottish  life  ? 
"Were  we  content  to  be  an  humble  imitator,  we  know  of 
no  one  whom  we  should  be  prouder  to  follow  than  the  noble 
author  of  that  wonderful  work,  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."     But 
we  owe  it  to  ourselves  to  say,  that  our  little  book  was  pro- 
jected before  the  publication  of  the  latter ;  and  our  .Jamie 
Parker,  we  think,  had  only  one  predecessor — and  that  we 
had  not  seen  —  in  this  species  of  literature. 


COUSIN  FRANCE'S  HOUSEHOLD. 


LETTER    I. 


INCIDENTS     OF     TKAVEL. 


Port  Royal,  Ya.,  Dec.  17,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  I  find  myself  at  length  an  inhabitant  of  this 
pretty  Southern  village,  this  "  hot-bed  of  Virginia  aristoc- 
racy." 

But  before  I  tell  you  one  word  about  it,  I  must  glance 
back  at  my  journey.  I  wrote  you  during  my  stop  with  our 
friends  in  Philadelphia,  and  will  go  on  with  my  recital  fi'om 
thence. 

I  fortunately  fell  in  Avith  acquaintances  —  the  W.'s  —  who 
were  taking  a  bridal  tour,  designing  to  stop  in  Baltimore  a 
few  days.  This  made  the  ride  from  Philadelphia  to  Balti- 
more very  pleasant ;  how  I  wished  they  were  going  all  the 
way  to  Port  Royal !  This  being  "  alone  amid  a  crowd," 
whizzing  through  the  country  at  a  rate  that  forbids  you  the 
small  amusement  of  looking  at  the  posts,  or  counting  the 
mile-stones,  is  not,  I  assure  you,  at  all  to  my  liking.  And 
then,  if  you  are  a  lady,  you  must  join  the  crustaceous  tribe, 
1 


COUSIN    France's    household. 


and  ensconsing  yourself  in  your  shell,  peep  out  very  timidly. 
A  suitable  travelling  dress  of  dignity  and  I'eserve  must  be 
adopted  as  a  coat  of  mail  to  protect  you  from  too  rude  a 
freedom.  No  lady  tliAks  uow-a-days  of  making  acquain- 
tances in  the  cai'S ;  she  may,  however,  be  so  hapi)y  as  to 
meet  tliem,  for  every  body  is  a  traveller,  and  only  hermit 
exceptions  stay  at  home.  In  the  good  old  times  of  stage 
ciiuehing,  lus  grandfather  would  say,  a  journey  of  a  few 
hundred  miles  would  develope  more  character,  and  make 
firmer  friends,  than  years  of  casual  intermingUng  in  society 
Could  do. 

On  reaciiing  the  Baltimore  depot,  I  saw  the  steamer  Kap- 
pahannoc  laying  in  the  dock,  not  half  a  square  off.  Pointing 
out  my  baggage  to  a  porter,  I  followed  him  to  the  boat. 
The  captain  was  standing  on  deck,  and  stepped  forward  to 
meet  me.  In  answer  to  my  inquiry,  he  said  that  "  the  Rap- 
pahannoc  had  made  her  last  trip,  and  I  would  be  obliged  to 
go  by  the  land  route,  and  I  would  have  a  rough  time  of  it, 
too."  This  assurance  from  that  weather-beaten  man  of  the 
water,  was  anything  but  inspiring,  it  must  be  confessed ;  but 
I  had  "  j)Ut  my  hand  to  the  plough,"  and  it  only  remained 
for  liw  tu  go  forward.  Hastening  back  to  the  depot,  I  found 
the  Washington  cars  kad  just  left.  Here  was  a  dilemma;  it 
was  Friday  afternoon,  and  if  I  spent  the  night  in  Baltimore, 
I  nmst  renuiin  there  over  the  Sabbath,  or  finish  my  journey 
on  that  day.  The  first  couUl  not  be  afforded  by  my  purse, 
nor  the  last  by  my  conscience.  My  only  alternative  was  to 
g';t  aboard  the  cars  and  go  to  Washington  that  night.     The 


COUSIN    franck's    houseuold. 


cars  leave  Baltimore  under  tlie  tug  of  horses  instead  of 
steam;  and  this  getting  aboard  was  not  among  zw^possibilities, 
though  they  were  at  some  distance.  A  hack  was  at  hand, 
and  Mr.  "W.,  having  seen  my  baggage  put  on,  handed  me  in, 
saying  to  the  driver,  with  Napoleonic  brevity  and  force,  "  To 
the  cars."  The  horses  were  duly  lashed  and  coaxed,  and 
coaxed  and  lashed;  but  alas  for  the  resistance  which  inac- 
tive matter  makes  to  a  change  of  state.  The  street  was 
encumbered  with  masses  of  mud  and  snow  frozen  in  the 
roughest  shapes,  and  the  wheeling  was  intolerable.  With 
much  ado  the  venerable  steeds  were  excited  into  a  lumbering 
gallop,  quite  vexatiously  ludicrous;  indeed,  to  my  fidgety 
fancy  they  seemed  to  be  lazily  prancing  without  progression. 
In  truth,  we  did  not  gain  on  the  cars  at  all ;  and  the  hack- 
man,  in  despair, turned  round  and  said,  "7^5  a  no-go;  I canH 
catch  them  cars  !  " 

"  O,  yes  you  can ;  "  said  I.  "  In  a  moment  they'll  stop 
and  change  horses  for  steam,  and  you  can  gain  on  them  then." 

I  said  this  more  hopefully  than  I  felt,  I  must  confess. 
The  hackman  was  good-natured,  and  seemed  inspirited  by 
the  hope  I  held  out,  and  shortly  succeeded  in  enlisting  his 
tame  animals  in  his  feelings.  The  locomotive  was  attached, 
and  the  cars  just  ready  to  start,  when  we  came  alongside. 
I  thanked  the  driver,  paid  him  a  dollar,  and  being  put  in 
the  cai'c  of  the  conductor  by  Mr.  W.,  stepped  into  the  cars, 
delightfully  exhilarated  with  the  success  of  the  experiment. 

Two  hours  brought  us  to  Washington,  and  me  to  Mr.  B.'s 
hotel,  "  a  pretty,  quiet  place,"  as  the  kind  conductor  assured 


COUSIN     FRANCE'S     HOUSEHOLD. 


me,  "where  many  ladies  who  came  down  in  tlie  cars  stopped." 
A  pleasant  room  was  assigned  me,  and  black  Maria,  the 
chambermaid,  soon  came  to  call  me  to  tea.  I  was  a  stranger 
and  alone  ;  I  shrank  from  the  public  table,  and  chose  to  have 
my  tea  in  my  room. 

Maria  was  a  slave  —  the  first  I  had  seen  to  recognize  as 
such,  and  interested  me  not  a  little  ;  now  that  I  Avas  at  leisure, 
I  regarded  her  most  observantly,  although,  as  in  duty  bound, 
I  2>ut  on  the  externals  of  indifference. 

••  It  is  true,  tlicn,"  thought  I,  as  I  gazed  with  strange  feel- 
ings on  the  representative  of  slavery  in  my  room ;  "  the 
capital,  the  heart,  the  citadel  of  free  and  proud  America,  is 
slaveholding  !  Human  beings  clank  their  chains  within  the 
very  adytum  of  the  temple  of  liberty.  Yet  what  prophet, 
years  agone,  would  have  dared  to  j^roclaim  that  the  sons  of 
the  brave  battlers  for  freedom  would  outvie  the  rest  of  the 
civilized  world  in  defence  of  the  slave-wliip !  "What  seer 
could  have  foreseen  this  heritage  of  Heaven  so  accursed? 
Shall  it  be  that  a  woe !  woe !  resound  in  echoes  of  death 
through  the  land  of  lofty  mountains,  noble  rivers,  and  glorious 
scenery  —  that  so  eloquently  teaches  of  all  things  free  ? 
Heaven  interpose  for  my  beloved  country  !  " 

"  Poor  Maria !  "  I  said  to  myself,  as  I  turned  my  head  to 
conceal  a  tear,  "  thou  art  a  slave  !  thou  hast  '  heart  histories ' 
of  a  blighted  life,  made  aimless,  hopeless,  useless  to  thyself, 
by  the  inexorable  laws  of  my  own  free  people.  I  know  it 
by  that  grief-set  eye,  and  by  the  deep  furrows  on  thy  dusky 
brow.     If  thou-couldst  outspeak,  thou  poor  thing,  chattelized 


COUSIN    pranck's    household. 


and  cattleized,  tliou  would^t  tell  of  wrongs,  of  burning,  cease- 
less wrongs ;  nought  has  gone  right  with  thee  since  that 
dread  fate  befell  thee  —  the  slave  fate. 

"  It  may  be  that  thy  babes  have  been  torn  from  thee  and 
sold  to  the  Southern  drover,  and  thy  husband  has  been  con- 
signed to  the  dank  rice  swamps,  where  the  '  fever  demons ' 
dwell.  Poor  thing,  would  I  might  ask  thee.  But  no ;  it 
may  not  be.  And  what  avails  my  sympathy?  I  cannot 
help  thee." 

Such  were  some  of  my  thoughts,  and  thus  went  out  my 
heart  to  that  poor  slave-woman. 

I  found  that  the  stage  for  Alexandria  had  left,  and  no 
alternative  remained  but  to  spend  the  Sabbath  in  travelling, 
or  in  Washington.  I  chose  the  latter.  Saturday  glided 
away  agreeably,  almost  imperceptibly.  You  suppose  that  I 
sauntered  about  the  Capitol  grounds  and  saw  all  the  wonder?, 
having  found  a  guide  to  show  me  the  lions  of  the  place.  Not 
at  all.  I  kept  my  room  all  day.  I  was  so  weary  seeing 
new  faces,  that  it  seemed  a  luxury  to  be  alone. 

Sabbath  morning  came  ;  calm,  clear,  cold  and  sunny.  I 
was  thinking  how  pleasant  to  go  to  the  house  of  God,  and 
trying  to  settle  in  my  mind  the  propriety  of  my  attempting 
it.  The  thought  of  going  alone  was  far  from  comfortable. 
I  found  the  courage  I  had  assumed  when  starting  on  my 
lone  journey,  very  sensibly  lessened  by  so  long  a  jaunt. 
Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  my  thoughts,  dark  Maria,  who 
was  putting  the  room  to  rights  in  a  loitering  way,  turned  to 
me  and  asked, 

1* 


COrSIX     FRAXCK  S     HOUSEHOLD. 


"  Is  jou  goin'  to  church  to-day,  Miss  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure,  Maria ;  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"  O,  iiothin',  Miss ;  beiu'  it's  so  clar,  I  thought  mebbe 
you'd  go,  of  course  ;  "  replied  Maria. 

Maria's  question  struck  me  somcAvhat  singularly.  And 
her  reply  was  no  less  strange ;  it  was  the  only  speech  she 
had  made  during  our  acquaintance  —  her  necessary  answers 
having  been  heretofoi'e  briefly  mumbled,  "  Yes,"  and  "  No, 
Miss  ;  "  saving  which  she  was  as  mum  as  the  mummy  which 
she,  in  her  dusky,  wrinkled  visage,  so  much  resembled. 
Now  she  had  all  at  once  put  on  a  familiar  garb,  greatly  to 
my  surpi'ise. 

Having  occasion  to  open  my  trunk,  I  looked  for  the  key 
on  the  linen  frill  of  the  toilet-cushion,  wliere  I  had  constantly 
kept  it.  It  was  gone !  I  had  locked  the  trunk  from  mere 
habit  while  travelling,  and,  perfectly  unsophisticated  in  South- 
ern proprieties,  had  placed  the  key  not  one  half  hour  before 
in  plain  sight.  I  had  not  left  the  room,  and  no  one  had  been 
in  the  room  save  Maria  and  myself.     I  was  puzzled. 

*'  Maria,  did  you  see  my  key  while  dusting  the  toilet  ? " 
I  asked. 

"  No,  indeed,  Miss ;  not  I ! "  was  the  reply. 

From  the  circumstances,  and  from  her  manner,  I  was 
convinced,  much  against  my  inclination,  that  she  had  taken 
the  missing  key.  I  was  jiositive  there  could  be  no  mistake, 
and  she  wished  me  to  go  to  church  that  she  might  pillage 
my  trunk !     I  was  both  grieved  and  indignant,  and  said. 


( 


COUSIN    franck's    household. 


"I  would  not  have  believed  tliis  of  yon,  Maria.  Will 
you  give  me  my  key,  that  there  may  be  no  further  trouble  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  Miss,  I  hasn't  got  your  key ! "  replied  she,  Avith 
bold  effrontery,  and  instantly  her  eye  flashed,  as  if  an  inven- 
tive thought  had  struck  fire,  and  she  continued  in  the  same 
breath,  "  I's  hearn  tell,  Miss,  dat  dis  yer  room  is  hanted 
like  ;  ever  since  a  woman  died  here  dat  ustcr  steal,  her  ghost 
conies  and  goes  and  takes  a  heap  of  things." 

"  Nonsense ! " 

I  saw  that  I  must  take  decisive  measures,  and  stepping 
quickly  to  the  bell-rope,  put  my  hand  upon  it,  and  said, 
"  Maria,  you  can  give  me  my  key  at  once,  and  I  will  say 
nothing  about  it ;  but  unless  you  do  it  this  moment,  I  must 
ring  for  the  landlord." 

The  poor  woman  fumbled  in  her  pocket,  feigned  to  be 
looking  around  the  room,  and  finally,  raising  the  cushion  of 
the  rocking-chair,  handed  me  the  key.  Were  my  sentimen- 
talism  and  sympathy  at  fault  ?  At  any  rate,  I  was  sad  and 
heart-sick. 

I  left  Washington  at  seven  o'clock  Sabbath  evening,  and 
took  the  steamer  doAvn  the  Potomac,  nine  miles  to  Alexandria. 
The  boat  was  all  night  making  the  passage,  and  such  a 
grating  and  groaning  in  getting  through  the  ice !  It  seemed 
as  if  all  imaginable  discordant  sounds  were  summoned  to 
aid,  excepting,  of  course,  that  perfection  of  squealing,  the 
inimitable  car-whistle.  A  fat  negress  presided  over  me  and 
my  baggage  with  care  truly  motherly.  She  had  such  a  lofty, 
queenly  air,  I  had  no  thought  that  she  was  a  slave,  but  I 


8  COUSIN     FRAXCIC'S      IIOUSKIIOLD. 

have  since  learned  that  she  was  hired  of  her  master  to  go 
as  chambermaid.  She  was  the  very  incarnation  of  easy 
comfort,  and  evidently  considered  herself  the  principal  per- 
sonage on  board. 

At  four  I  was  awaiting  the  stage,  beside  a  smouldering  coal 
fire  in  the  httle  parlor  of  the  Alexandria  Hotel.  Presently 
the  stage  horn  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Fredericksburg 
coach  and  four. 

"  Halloo,  Sam ! "  said  the  landlord,  bustling  through  the 
hall. 

"  Yes,  Master ! "  replied  the  owner  of  the  monosyllabic 
appellative,  coming  up  the  steps,  lantern  in  hand,  "  Yes, 
Master." 

"  Sam,  is  the  Senator  ready  ?  " 

"  Senator,  Senator,  what  Master  mean  ?  " 

"Why,  are  you  drunk?  —  the  gentleman  up  stairs!" 

"  0,  yes,  Master ;  I  reckon  so.  I  done  called  him  right 
smart  while  ago."  And  quickly  Sam  was  heard  knocking 
at  the  door  of  a  chamber  overhead,  and  calling  out,  "  Stage 
ready,  sir ! " 

A  confused  floundering,  shuffling  and  jarring  above  pre- 
ceded about  fifteen  minutes  the  descent  of  the  heavy  legis- 
lator, into  whose  care,  by  the  Avay,  the  landlord  kindly 
deposited  me,  saying,  that,  as  there  was  no  regular  convey- 
ance from  Fredericksburg  to  Port  Royal,  I  would  need  some 
friend  to  get  me  a  chance  to  go  on.  Senator  T.  was  not 
more  than  half  resuscitated  from  sleep,  but  appeared  affable 
and  princely,  for  all  that.     In  a  moment  we  passengers,  four 


COUSIN     FRANCK  S     HOUSEHOLD. 


in  number,  were  shut  in  the  vehicle,  and  the  impatient  driver 
giving  the  rein  and  lash  to  his  chafing  steeds,  away  we  went. 

The  road  grew  more  and  more  rough ;  in  fact,  it  has  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  roughest  roads  in  the  Union, 
at  this  season.  But  the  driver  urged  on  his  horses  with 
about  equal  disregard  of  their  comfort  and  ours. 

"  Can  you  not  give  us  a  little  less  jolting  ?  "  asked  Senator 
T.,  out  of  breath. 

'••Can't,  possibly  "  shouted  the  coachman,  Avhipping  up 
afresh ;  "  it's  an  urgent  case,  ye  see,  gentlemen  and  ladies. 
I's  got  the  government  mail,  and  must  be  in  Fredericksburg 
at  four,  precisely." 

"  How  far  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  lady  passenger  by  my  side. 

"Sixty  miles,"  repKed  the  driver,  cracking  his  whip. 

"  Sixty  miles  !  "  said  the  Senator,  "  and  such  a  road  ! " 

"  Sixty  miles ! "  echoed  Dr.  G.,  a  distant  relative  of  the 
Senator,  who  sat  beside  him  ;  between  five  and  six  miles  an 
hour  over  such  a  heaped  up  road  as  this  !  Bless  me  !  every 
bone  in  me  Avill  want  setting  before  we  are  half  way  there." 

"  Can't  be  helped,  can't  be  helped,"  said  the  driver,  a 
white  man,  who  seemed  amazingly  resigned  to  the  state  of 
things. 

An  hour  more,  and  the  coach  stopped  at  an  inn,  and  the 
driver  got  down  to  water  his  horses.  It  was  daylight,  and 
we  saw  another  coach  with  panting  horses  quenching  their 
thirst. 

"  Halloo,  John  ! "  called  out  our  driver ;  "  thought  I  couldn't 
come  up  with  you,  eh  ?  " 


10  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  Halloo  !  "  said  the  other,  ''  that  you  ?  " 

"  Nobody  else,  you  better  believe  ;  and  now  the  way  I'm 
in  for  racing  horses  over  this  ere  scary  road,  is  a  caution." 
And  they  both  went  into  the  bar-room. 

"What'll  you  lay  I  won't  be  in  Fredericksburg  first?" 
said  driver  John,  as  he  poured  a  pail  of  water  into  the  water- 
ing trough,  after  they  had  finished  their  duties  at  the  bar. 

"  A  v.,"  said  our  driver. 

"  Done  !  it's  a  bet !  "  said  the  other. 

"\Ye  passengers  heard  this  with  some  trepidation,  I  suppose, 
judging  from  myself.  I  half  suspected,  however,  that  the 
driver  was  trpng  the  expei'inient  of  making  the  Senator 
uncomfortable  for  the  delay  which  he  had  caused. 

"  This  ere  is  a  mighty  bad  road,"  he  began  again,  while 
the  horses  were  drinking ;  "  it's  a  case,  and  no  mistake. 
There's  more  accidents  happens  on  this  road  than  on  all  the 
rest  in  the  States." 

"  A  large  story,"  muttered  the  Doctor. 

"  AVhat  does  the  fellow  mean  ?  "  asked  the  Senator. 

"  I  never  makes  a  practice  of  turning  over  the  stage,  nor 
anything  o'  that  sort,"  said  the  driver,  coming  with  another 
pail  of  water,  "  but  I  Jiave  come  nigh  upon  having  some 
mighty  bad  accidents  happen.  I'v  driv  within  half  an  inch 
of  them  are  precipices  yonder,  many  and  many  a  time,  and 
never  went  over.  Can't  say  I  never  shall ;  but  then  I'm  a 
whaler  at  driving,  and  no  mistake." 

"  Be  under  way  lively ! "  sliouted  he  as  the  other  stage 
started  off;  "your  horses  must  have  considerable  liglitning 


cousix    franck's    household.  11 


in  their  heels  to  keep  out  of  my  way  ;  "  and  he  raised  a  care- 
less whistle. 

"  It  is  my  opinion,"  remarked  the  ^atesman,  with  an  im- 
pressive nod  of  the  head,  as  the  driver  was  gone  for  another 
pail  of  water,  "  that  that  scape-gallows  is  in  for  frightening 
us.     We  have  only  to  keep  cool." 

Before  starting,  the  driver  again  went  to  the  bar,  and  the 
Doctor  went  too.  I  was  sorry  for  this,  for  it  seemed  to  me 
that  at  such  a  time,  at  least,  we  had  need  of  cool  heads ;  but 
the  Doctor,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  thought  as  little  of  quaf- 
fing his  liquor  as  of  lighting  his  cigar.  I  must  slightly  sketch 
Dr.  G.  for  you.  lie  is  of  medium  height,  though  he  seemed 
to  be  a  small  man  alongside  of  the  Senator ;  rather  thin  and 
pale,  notwithstanding  his  habits.  He  has  also  a  well-turned 
head,  blue  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  and  a  physiognomy  open 
and  sincere.  He  dresses  neatly,  seems  thirty-five  or  forty, 
and  his  general  appearance  is  at  once  diffident  and  gentle- 
manly, without  tlie  slightest  trace  of  doctorial  bearing. 

It  was  now  six  o'clock,  and  we  were  dashing  on,  almost 
jolted  to  jelly.  The  driver  was  as  good  as  his  word,  giving 
chase  to  the  coach  ahead,  which,  as  it  had  only  two  passen- 
gers and  a  liglit  baggage,  found  no  difficulty  in  maintaining 
its  distance.  TVlienever  obliged  to  walk  his  horses,  in  the 
spirit  of  giving  classic  interest  to  the  scenery,  he  would 
point  out  the  various  spots  where  the  stages  had  gone  off, 
and  all  the  passengers  were  killed ;  but  as  no  one  present 
had  heard  of  these  shocking  accidents,  each  new  story  was 
unanimously  voted   a    ready-made   hoax,  or    a  traditionary 


12  COUSIN     FRANCK's     nOUSEHOLD. 

bugbear.  Not  that  there  was  no  danger; — a  peep  now  and 
then  into  some  ravine  at  the  left,  was  all  the  logic  we  needed 
on  that  point ;  but  ouf  driver,  we  wot,  had  no  more  partiality 
than  ourselves  for  fathoming  its  dejsth ;  besides,  the  carriage 
road  wound  not  very  alarmingly  near  the  edge.  As  long, 
therefore,  as  our  driver  was  not  more  than  one-third  drunk, 
we  concluded  we  might  safely  dispense  with  fear.  About 
seven  we  came  rattling  down  a  long,  winding  hill  into  a 
village,  where  we  took  breakfast,  and  then,  away.  The  coun- 
try soon  became  more  level  and  uninteresting,  the  road  far 
more  tolerable,  and  the  gentlemen  more  sociable. 

"  Let's  see ;  I  think  you  were  in  the  Florida  war,"  said 
the  Senator,  taking  off  his  hat,  and  displaying  a  fine  head. ' 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dr.  G.,  "  I  served  as  surgeon  six  years  in 
that  war." 

"  Ah !  indeed !  I  had  forgotten  that  you  were  there  so 
long.  It's  some  years  since  the  Avar,  and  I  had  lost  sight  of 
you.     Have  you  been  in  this  country  of  late  years?" 

"  Well,  yes  and  no,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "  I  have  been 
sky-larking  round  the  world;  making  the  tour  of  Europe, 
and  all  that ;  and  as  you  may  suppose,  I've  spent  quite  a 
little  forttme,  and  now  I'm  going  to  reform,  economize,  marry, 
settle  down,  stock  my  i)lantation  witli  slaves,  and  lead  a  good, 
useful  life." 

"Ah,  well;  that'll  do;  that's  commendable;"  said  Senator 
T.,  Willi  a  sunny  smile.  "I'm  glad  to  hear  it;  you'll  do 
well,  I  doubt  not." 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  the  Doctor,  —  whose  tongue  moved 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  13 


glibly,  for  he  had  drank  after  breakfast  as  well  as  before ; 
and  so  had  the  worthy  Senator ;  but  one  could  not  perceive 
that  it  affected  him,  —  "you  see,  sir,  I'm  getting  in  years; 
I'm  thirty,  thirty  odd,  and  it's  high  time  that  I  became  a 
good  member  of  society." 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you  take  such  sensible  views  of  life. 
Most  of  our  men,  (the  Senator  was  sixty,  or  so,)  I'm  sorry  to 
say,  are  sadly  wanting  in  reflection.  They  seem  to  think 
that,  if  they  lead  a  gay,  frolicksome  life,  without  any  special 
object,  save  to  please  themselves,  all  well  and  good.  But  I 
take  it  a  man  is  responsible  for  his  influence  on  those  around 
him.  You  have  done  good  in  serving  the  wars  of  our  coun- 
try, and  I  can  hope  that  you  are  destined  to  still  more 
honorable  distinction.     You  were  speaking  of  a  plantation." 

"Yes,  sir;  I  have  a  tract  of  ten  thousand  acres  in  East 
Florida,  the  garden  of  the  world,  and  my  present  business 
is  buying  slaves  to  stock  it,"  replied  Dr.  G. 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  Senator. 

"  East  Florida  is  the  country  of  countries,  sir,"  continued 
Dr.  G.,  for  a  moment  suspending  the  puflftng  of  his  insepar- 
able cigar.  "  California  is  not  to  be  mentioned  the  same 
day  witli  it,  sir.  Not  in  respect  to  gold,  precisely,  but  as  it 
regards  all  that  makes  valuable  farms." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  indeed  a  very  fine  country,"  remarked 
the  Senator. 

"  The  finest  in  the  world,  sir.  I  wouldn't  take  millions 
for  my  tract  of  ten  thousand  acres  ;  money  would  be  no  temp- 
tation. Fact  sir,  it's  a  young  paradise  —  or  will  be,  when 
2 


14  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

I've  expended  a  few  tlio\isands  for  servants  and  otlier  fix- 
ings."    And  the  Doctor  comjilacently  puffed  his  cigar  again. 

"  You  are  a  lucky  fellow,  sir,"  said  the  Senator. 

''  Why,  I  think  so,"  said  the  Doctor ;  "  it's  true  we  had  a 
hard  tug  of  it  exterminating  those  Seminoles  that  were  so 
obstinately  rooted  into  the  soil ;  but  then  it  pays,  it  pays. 
"We  get  our  fee  ;  at  least  I  do.  I  reckon  I  never  told  you 
how  we  poor  soldiers  fared  some  part  of  the  time  in  that 
campaign.  Why,  sir,  there  were  times  when  those  villanous 
Indians  cut  off  our  supplies,  and  for  weeks  together  we  were 
on  a  short  allowance  of  crackers  and  pork  —  crackers  and 
pork,  sir,  if  you'll  believe  it.  We  used,  however,  to  crack 
jokes  on  our  living,  for  the  sake  of  digestion.  One  morning 
a  witty  friend  of  mine  came  into  the  tent ;  '  Ah ! '  said  lie, 
'  how  are  you,  Doctor  ?  how  are  you  ?  And  what  do  you 
have  for  breakfast  this  morning  ? ' 

"'  Crackers  and  pork  !  '  I  replied. 

"  '  You  do  ?  '  said  he,  '  why,  we  have  pork  and  crackers.' " 

"  Hard  living  and  /ia7-d  joking  that,"  said  the  Senator, 
smiling ;  "  but  you  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that 
your  hardships  were  not  in  vain." 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  Doctor, 

"  I  maintain,"  remarked  the  Senator,  "  that  this  country 
is  like  the  land  of  Canaan,  which  the  Israelites  were  com- 
manded to  subdue  and  inherit.  The  God  of  heaven  has 
decreed  the  extermination  of  the  aborigines,  and  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  Anglo  Saxon  race;  and  the  warriors  in  this 
strife  have  won  laurels  in  a  noble  cause." 


corsiK    franck's    household.  15 

"  Exactly  ;  "  cliimed  in  Dr.  G. ;  "  that  was  the  grand  prin- 
ciple of  the  Florida  war ;  we  were  the  Israelites,  and  the 
Seminoles  the  heathenish  Canaanites." 

We  now  drew  up  before  a  watering  trough. 

"  Miserable  country  this  !  "  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  looking 
out  of  the  window ;  "  the  land  is  worn  out  and  worked  out, 
till  it  is  scarcely  better  than  a  desert." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  Senator,  "  that  is  one  of  the  una- 
voidable evils  of  our  system.  Overseers  have  pay  in  pro- 
portion to  the  crops,  and  little  regard  is  had  to  the  extra 
wearing  out  of  servants  and  farms,  in  the  process  of  filling 
their  pockets.  You  see,  sir,  just  what  these  miserable 
scamps  have  done.  These  lands  are  ruined;"  pointing  to 
large  tracts  of  level,  sandy,  exhausted  lands,  extending  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  "  utterly  ruined,  sir,  by  those 
merciless  wretches,  who  care  only  for  their  own  profit.  And 
the  owners  of  these  acres  have  been  beggared  in  the  process, 
and  their  children,  with  very  few  exceptions,  have  found 
their  level  with  the  poor  whites.  Overseers  are  a  nuisance  — 
a  necessary  nuisance  it  may  be,  but  an  intolerable  nuisance." 
And  the  Senator  looked  grave. 

As  we  passed  along,  the  country  appeared  no  better. 
Miles  and  miles  the  eye  rested  on  exhausted  corn-fields, 
where  nothing  would  grow  save  dwarfish  pines. 

"  This  is  a  sad  case,"  the  Doctor  continued ;  "  a  sad  case. 
It  really  makes  one  melancholy.  Can  you  suppose  the  day 
will  ever  come  when  my  East  Florida  plantation  will  pre- 
sent such  a  death-like  appearance?" 


16  COUSIX     FRANCIv's     HOUSEHOLD. 

" That  depends  on  wliether  you  employ  overseers:"  re- 
plied the  Senator,  emphatically. 

"  "Well,  of  course  I  must  have  overseers.  Wliat  could  I 
do  overseeing  a  force  of  three  or  four  hundred  negroes  ? 
\Miy,  I'm  a  broken-down  constitution,  as  you  may  say,  sir  — 
a  broken-down  constitution  —  and  I  must  have  overseers.  It 
really  makes  me  feel  blue  to  think  of  it;  that  my  glorious 
tract  of  fertile  everglades,  rolling  prairie,  rich  hills  and  val- 
leys, and  flower-iuAVOvcn  forests,  sliould  be  made  a  sterile 
waste  by  the  plebeian  tribe.  I'd  much  rather  the  Indians  had 
it ;  fact,  sir." 

"  But  you  Avill  doubtless  enjoy  it  well  all  your  life.  Those 
rich  lands  will  bear  many  years  of  overseer  management," 
said  the  Senator. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  yes,  sir ;  there  is  some  comfort  in  that ; "  re- 
plied the  Doctor.  "  But  what  is  to  become  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion, if  things  go  on  at  this  remorseless  rate  of  exhaus- 
tion?" 

"  Ah,  that  poser  —  it  might  take  a  wise  head  to  explain. 
Give  these  old  lands  to  the  Yankee  farmers,  and  they'd 
make  them  '  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose,'  by  the  second 
year,  at  farthest.  *If  you  want  a  thing  Avell  done,  do  it 
yourself,'  is  their  motto,  and  a  very  good  one  it  is,  for  those 
who  have  been  inured  to  physical  labor  from  childhood.  If 
Virginia  continues  to  depreciate  in  landed  wealth  at  tlie 
present  rate,  I  cannot  say  what  will  be  the  result.  She 
would  have  been  bankrupt  long  since  had  it  not  been  for  the 
resource   of  raising  slaves  for  the  Southern  market.     Tliis 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  17 

has  most  providentially  saved  her.  I  should  be  a  beggar  this 
moment,  had  I  not  been  able  to  raise  slave-stock,  to  balance 
the  depreciating  process  on  my  plantation." 

I  looked  at  the  Senator  with  a  surprise  not  easily  conceal- 
ed. I  had  seen  few  Northerners  more  noble  looking  than  he. 
He  had  naturally  a  clear  head  and  a  kind  heart,  and  I  inly 
anathematized  the  system,  while  I  pitied  the  man. 

"  I  was  not  aware,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  that  our  State  owed 
her  pecuniary  position  so  much  to  this  trade  with  the  South." 

"  Certainly,"  repUed  the  Senator ;  "  I  have  not  in  mind 
the  precise  statistics  on  the  subject,  but  Virginia  has  received 
a  great  many  hundreds  of  millions  for  slaves,  for  the  South 
and  Southwest.  In  183G  forty  thousand  servants  were  sold 
from  this  State,  at  an  average  price  of  six  hundred  dollars 
per  head,  making  twenty-four  millions  in  one  year  by  this 
traffic." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  the  Doctor. 

"  Yes,  sir ; "  resumed  the  Senator,  "  and  I  can  hardly  sup- 
pose the  sales  have  been  less  since.  The  fact  is,  we  are 
obliged  to  grow  slaves,  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  rice- 
swamps  and  corn-fields,  and  about  the  same  number  are 
wanted  annually,  take  one  year  with  another." 

"  Have  you  any  marketable  slaves  on  hand  that  you  wi^h 
to  dispose  of?"  asked  Dr.  G. 

"  Why,  yes ;  I  reckon  so ;  I  reckon  I  could  spare  some ; 
although  I  made  quite  a  sweep  from  the  cabins  last  spring 
when  the  drover  came  along." 
2* 


18  COUSIN    fraxck's    iiocsehold. 

"  I  want  some  good,  sturdy  chaps  that  Avill  go  into  the 
work  with  a  relis;h,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  All !  "  replied  the  Senator,  "  you  cannot  expect  the  poor 
fellows  will  have  much  rcUsh  for  work  in  a  new  country. 
My  hands  dread  to  be  sold.  I  do  not  know  why  it  is  — 
most  planters  do  not  have  such  trouble  at  their  sales,  but, 
fact,  sir,  I  have  to  harden  my  heart  to  stone."  And  the 
tears  actually  came  into  the  old  man's  eyes.  In  a  moment, 
recovering  himself,  he  went  on  —  "  You  cannot  expect  the 
poor  fellows  will  have  much  relish  for  work,  as  I  was  saying ; 
you  must  remember  that  they  are  exiles." 

^'  O,  of  course,  of  course ; "  said  the  Doctor,  evidently 
puzzled. 

"  My  neighbors  tell  me  that  I  should  have  no  sort  of  fuss 
sale  days,  if  I  would  only  pursue  the  severe  course  with  my 
servants.  But  it  isn't  in  me  to  be  crusty  and  crdss  to  those 
always  toiling  and  broiluig  for  me,  year  in  and  year  out.  I 
should  be  an  ungrateful  dog  to  treat  them  cruelly." 

"  Why,"  said  the  Doctor,  in  great  surprise,  "  you  talk  of 
your  servants  as  if  they  were  really  human." 

"  Of  course  I  do,  sir ;  and  I  am  a  believer  in  that  doc- 
trine. Human !  they  have  all  the  characteristics  of  human 
beings,  save  position  in  society ;  and  why  not  class  them  as 
such  ?  I  should  be  a  jioor  reasoner  if  I  did  not,"  warmly 
remarked  the  Senator. 

"  Bless  me  ! "  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  "you  must  make  hard 
work  of  being  a  master  of  servants." 

"  Exactly ;  it  is  so ;"  said  Senator  T.     "  I  am  frank  to  own. 


COUSIN    fxianck's    household.  19 

had  Providence  given  me  existence  at  the  North,  I  would 
have  been  far  happier.  But  what  is  one  to  do?  Here  he 
is — he  finds  himself  the  proprietor  of  a  vast  estate  and  some 
hundreds  of  slaves  inherited  from  his  father,  and  it  seems 
fitting  that  he  take  care  of  his  patrimony  and  keep  matters 
as  nearly  straight  as  he  can.  Now  one  cannot  provide  for 
his  own  household  without  now  and  then  making  sales :  it's 
a  necessary  part  of  the  system.  And,  sir,  I  maintain,  as 
things  are,  that  it  is  no  true  boiievolence  for  a  kind  master 
to  free  his  slaves,  dependent  as  they  are.  Why,  what  can 
the  poor  creatures  do  ?  They  can  never  rise  above  the  level 
of  the  poor  whites !  They  cannot  take  care  of  themselves ; 
and  we  all  know  that  free  blacks  are  a  perfect  nuisance, 
unless  colonized." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  how  many  boys  think 
you'U  let  me  have  ?  " 

"Cannot  possibly  say  now;  a  dozen,  perhaps.  Call 
around  at  Grove  Hill,  and  we'll  talk  over  the  matter.  How 
large  a  force  do  you  raise  ?  " 

"O,  about  two  hundred,  more  or  less,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  Well,  well,  call  and  see  me,  and  we'll  talk  it  over,"  said 
the  old  gentleman  ;  and  the  Doctor  looked  out  of  the  window, 
for  we  were  descending  the  beautiful  hill  near  Fredericks- 
burg, and  the  scenery  was  delightful.  We  ladies  looked  out 
too,  and  had  the  first  view  of  Virginia's  noblest  river — the 
Rappahannoc.  In  a  few  minutes  I  found  myself  ushered 
into  the  Fredericksburg  Hotel. 

Senator  T.  inquired  respecting  a  conveyance  from  Fred- 


20  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

ericksbiirg  to  Port  Royal,  distant  twenty-two  miles,  and 
learned  that  the  mail  stage  ran  only  once  a  week,  and  I 
would  be  obliged  to  wait  four  days  for  it,  or  avail  myself  of 
a  private  opportunity.  Dr.  G.  was  going  to  Port  Royal, 
having  obtained  a  horse  and  carriage  of  a  friend,  who  was 
to  send  a  negro  boy  to  take  it  back.  The  good  Senator 
introduced  me  to  the  Doctor  as  Miss  P.,  from  Connecticut, 
and  added  he  would  do  him  a  great  favor  if  he  would  give 
me  a  seat  in  his  carriage,  and  see  me  safely  in  Port  Royal. 

Dr.  G.  bowed,  and  said  that  he  would  do  this  with  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure. 

"  And  now,  my  little  friend,"  said  the  Senator,  shaking  my 
hand,  "  good  bye !     God  bless  you  ! "     And  a  moment  after, 

he  took  his  scat  in  the stage,  bound  in  a  westerly 

direction.  I  felt  sincerely  sorry  at  parting  with  the  good 
old  gentleman,  although  he  had  not  spent  ten  minutes  talking 
with  me  on  the  journey,  yet  he  had  kindly  looked  after  my 
baggage,  and  given  me  all  the  attention  that  I  needed.  I 
could  not  for  the  life  of  me  avoid  regarding  him  as  a  fatherly 
or  grandfatherly  personage.  I  also  heartily  pitied  him, 
since  he  was  a  slaveholder  by  destiny,  and  longed  to  learn 
how  he  would  carry  himself  on  his  arrival  home,  in  making 
selections  for  the  coming  sale.  "  It  may  be,"  thought  I, 
"  that  I  shall  somehow  hear  about  it,  as  Grove  Hill  is  not 
one  hundred  miles  from  Port  Royal,  and  he  being  a  promi- 
nent and  eccentric  man,  his  sayings  and  doings  will  be  likely 
to  be  current  there."  And  comforting  myself  with  these 
thoughts,  I  ran  to  my  room  to  busy  myself  until  the  hour  of 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  21 

starting.  JMeanwliile,  my  head  was  filled  with  plans  of 
usefulness,  to  be  put  into  operation  on  the  way  to  Port 
Royal.  I  would  picture  to  the  Doctor  the  state  of  things  at 
the  North.  I  wo  ild  tell  him  about  our  great  cities,  thriving 
villages  and  happy  homes ;  and  that  we  owed  none  of  our 
prosperity  and  happiness  to  slavery.  I  would  ask  him  to 
point  out  a  slaveholding  section  of  country  which  God  blessed 
as  he  did  New-England.  I  Avould  remind  him  of  his  East 
Florida  paradise,  which  he  was  about  to  make  desolate  as  a 
desert,  by  slave  cultivation.  I  would  ask  him,  why  not  em- 
ploy Irish  or  German  emigrants,  &c.,  Sec.  In  short,  my 
string  of  posers  was  as  long  as  the  Catholic's  rosary,  and  I 
almost  fancied  that  I  should  nullify  Dr.  G.'s  present  purpose 
of  slavetradin;^. 

The  carriage  came  to  the  door,  and  Dr.  G.  and  myself 
were  soon  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Fredericksburg. 

As  we  passed  along,  and  I  was  thinking  how  and  when  I 
should  introduce  the  conversation  I  had  planned,  the  Doctor 
pointed  with  his  whip  to  this,  that,  and  the  other  residence, 
telling  by  whom  they  were  occupied ;  this  by  a  cousin,  that 
by  an  uncle,  and  the  other  by  a  very  pai'ticular  friend ;  and 
detailing  peculiarities  of  each  in  the  management  of  his  es- 
tate. One  thing,  however,  struck  me  as  very  singular ;  if  I 
asked  a  question,  he  went  straight  along  with  his  recital, 
just  as  if  he  did  not  hear  me.  I  felt  not  a  little  confused  by 
this.  I  remembered  how  our  stern  father  used  to  tell  us, 
"  Children  should  be  seen,  not  heard,"  and  I  had  a  dim  con- 
sciousness that  the  Doctor  might  be  of  the  same  school,  and 


22  COUSIN    franck's    household, 

disposed  to  recall  the  offending  girl  before  him  to  the  sage 
old  maxim. 

At  length,  after  a  long  harangue,  in  what  seemed  to  me  an 
unnecessarily  loud  tone ;  —  subject,  the  folly  of  certain  courses 
of  plantation  management, — the  Doctor  made  a  pause.  After 
thoughtfully  snapping  his  whip  for  a  few  moments,  he  said 
"A/iem!"  loud  enough  to  clear  two  or  three  throats,  and 
thoroughly  wakened  me  from  a  little  reverie-nap  into  which 
I  had  fallen,  in  my  wondering  if  he  was  an  average  specimen 
of  Virginia  gentlemen. 

"Ahem!  my  friend.  Mi*.  T.,  said  you  were  from  the 
North." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  in  a  clear,  distinct  voice. 

"  "What  did  you  say  ?  "  shouted  the  Doctor,  as  if  I  had  been 
a  deaf  mute. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  I,  more  distinctly  than  before. 

"  Be  so  kind  as  to  speak  a  little  louder,"  said  he ;  "  I  am  a 
little  deaf." 

Conceive  my  consternation!  All  my  plans  of  doing  the 
poor  man  good  dashed  in  an  instant !  Alas,  for  the  uncer- 
tainty of  all  sublunary  things  !  I  had  manifestly  "  reckoned 
without  my  host."  The  Doctor  must  needs  be  the  talker,  and 
I  the  listener.  For  what  with  my  feminine  voice,  and  what 
with  the  rumbling  of  the  carriage  over  a  December  road,  I 
was  quite  in  despair.  I  now  remembered  that  while  talking 
with  the  Senator,  the  Doctor  sat  very  near  jiim,  and  inclined 
his  head,  and  that  the  former  spoke  in  a  loud,  sonorous 
tone. 


COUSIN    fkanck's    uouseuold.  23 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  are  from  the  North  ?  "  persisted 
Dr.  G. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  I,  as  loudly  as  possible,  nodding. 

"  From  Connecticut  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  as  before. 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  Why,  you  have  a  world  of  courage.  You'd 
make  a  good  soldier  if  you  lived  in  revolutionary  times,  and 
if  your  size  were  equal  to  your  courage.  I  reckon  you 
Northern  ladies,"  continued  he,  stentorianly,  "  have  more 
courage  than  our  ladies ;  why,  when  they  journey,  they  wait 
six  months  for  company." 

"  It  must  require  something  more  than  courage  to  wait  so 
long,"  replied  I ;  "  they  must  have  great  fortitude."  I  saw 
that  my  remark  did  not  reach  the  Doctor. 

I  felt  disappointed  that  I  was  not  able  to  reason  at  all  with 
this  man.  I  feared  if  I  kept  silence,  that  I  should  lose 
ground  in  firmness  of  principle  on  the  subject  of  freedom, 
and,  ere  I  was  aware,  sympathize  Avith  the  oppressor.  With 
a  jealous  eye,  I  peered  into  my  heart  to  see  how  it  stood 
affected  towards  the  poor  slaves ;  and  I  will  confess  to  you, 
dear  S.,  that  I  found  it  less  sympathizing  than  formerly !  I 
was  musing  on  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon,  and  calculating 
how  long  a  time,  at  the  present  ratio,  would  suffice  to  make 
me  an  advocate  of  the  enslaving  system,  when  the  Doctor 
outspoke : 

"  Do  you  see  those  Lombardy  poplars,  yonder  ?  " 
I  nodded  a  yes. 

"My  good  friend.  Col.  S.,  lives  in  the  mansion  pointed  out 


24  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


by  the  poplars,  and  those  are  his  people  that  you  see  at  work 
there." 

I  looked,  and  saw  for  the  first  time  slave  people  at  work 
in  the  fields.  Th^re  they  were  —  men,  women,  and  children 
—  whole  families  hard  toiling,  and  for  wliat?  For  the  same 
object  as  the  horse  and  the  ox  —  for  the  master's  good. 
Leaving  the  rank  in  which  God  made  them,  they  are  forced 
to  be  put  on  a  level  with  the  brutes,  and  serve  their  fellow 
men,  albeit  of  "  one  blood."  Col.  S.'s  "  people,"  as  the  Doc- 
tor called  them,  Avere  clearing  up  brushwood  and  repairing 
fences.  Some  of  them  turned  to  look  at  us  as  we  passed. 
They  were  not  near  enough  for  me  to  read  their  faces,  but  I 
felt  my  heart  glowing  with  tender  pity  for  them. 

"  How  think  you'll  like  our  slave  system.  Miss  ?  "  continued 
the  Doctor. 

"  Not  much,"  said  I,  loud  enough  for  the  deaf  man  to  hear. 

"  O,"  replied  he,  pleasantly,  "  you  Northerners  always  say 
so  when  you  first  come  among  us ;  that  is,  generally  speak- 
ing ;  but  after  a  while  you  come  to  hke  it  as  well  as  the  best 
of  us.  I  grant  you  there  is  an  acclimating  process  to  be 
gone  through  with  in  regard  to  it.  Why,  Miss,  I  have  my 
eye  on  several  Northerners,  now  residents  of  the  South,  who, 
when  they  first  arrived,  were  dissatisfied  with  our  domestic 
institution  ;  they  did  not  say  so  in  so  many  words,  perhaps, 
but  we  Southerners  understood  how  they  felt.  And  where 
are  they  now?  Why,  they  have  fallen  head  and  ears  in 
love  with  the  system ;  they  are  among  our  most  arrant  slave- 
holders.     You  see.  Miss,   our  domestic  arrangements    are 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  25 

vastly  convenient  for  the  master,  as  well  as  for  the  servants. 
I  maintain,  the  latter  find  their  level  scarcely  above  the 
ourang-outang  tribe  —  being  a  connecting  link  between  the 
animal  and  human  races.  It's  a  mercy  to  keep  them  where 
they  are,  in  my  opinion." 

"  Downright  horrible  !  "  said  I,  shaking  my  head. 

"  I  see,"  replied  the  Doctor,  coolly,  "  that  you  have  not 
been  educated  into  the  system ;  but,  my  word  for  it,  you'll 
be  charmed  with  it  yet.  It  will  recommend  itself  to  your 
good  common  sense ;  and  Port  Eoyal,  of  all  places,  is  the 
place  to  form  a  favorable  estimate  of  our  institution.  There 
the  servants  are  fat,  sleek  and  well-fed ;  they  lead  an  easy, 
contented  life.  You  will  think  them  a  free-and-easy,  jolly 
set,  I  make  sure.  Your  feelings  wont  be  outraged  by  the 
harsh  plantation  treatment  occasioned  by  those  necessary 
nuisances  —  overseers.  And,  by  the  way,  your  Northerners 
make  the  hardest  overseers  in  the  world ;  they  have  not  one 
jot  of  mercy  for  the  servants.  I  would  not  have  one  of  them 
on  my  plantation,  if  he'd  serve  gratis ;  he'd  waste  more 
bones  and  sinews  than  he  was  worth.  Fact  is.  Miss,  your 
Northerners  go  a  notch  higher  than  we  do  in  the  hrutalitp 
of  the  thing."  The  Doctor  paused,  and  I  was  silent,  won- 
dering how  this  could  be. 

"  K  I  were  a  Yankee,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "  I  should 

guess  that  directly  you  would  be  delighted  with  our  domestic 

system ;  and  furthermore,  I  should  guess  you'd  marry  some 

wealthy  planter  before  a  twelvemonth ! "     Dr.  G.  said  this 

3 


26  consiN    franck's    household. 

with  an  avch,  mischievous  look,  that  annoyed  me  exceedingly. 
I  reylit-'d,  shaking  my  head,  "  See  if  I  do,  sir !" 

••  All,"  he  continued,  "  you  Northerners  come  among  us, 
and  directly  you  tack  round  and  become  the  very  best  South- 
erners in  the  world.  All  very  natural,  of  course.  You  find 
you've  been  mistaken  in  your  estimate  of  things  in  this 
country,  and  you  must  needs  change  your  opinion.  It  goes 
to  show  that  you  are  a  sensible  people,  and  I  admire  you  for 
it.  I  always  did  say  that  the  whole  nation  of  Yankees  had 
most  admirable  tact.  They  have  one  more  faculty  than 
other  people  —  the  faculty  of  adapting  themselves  to  every 
nation  under  heaven.  But,  bless  me !  here  we  are,  right 
upon  Port  Royal." 

I  saw  a  pretty  little  village  of  forty  or  fifty  houses,  with  a 
church,  —  the  spire  of  wliich  was  surmounted  by  a  cross, — 
and  an  academy. 

"  Is  this  Port  Royal  ?  "  I  asked,  with  some  disappointment. 

'•'  Yes,  Miss.  You  are  surprised  to  find  it  no  larger.  It 
has  two  hundi'ed  white  inhabitants,  and  perhaps  four  hundred 
servants ;  yes,  it  has  a  population  of  full  six  hundred.  We 
call  this  a  large  village,  southernly  speaking ;  quite  a  large 
village,  Miss.  Why,  it  has  some  little  commerce  of  its  own 
to  boa-st  of,  although  it  is  not,  like  its  overgrown,  strapping 
sisters  of  the  North,  given  to  manufactures." 

''Why  not?" 

"  O,  it  isn't  thought  quite  expedient.  We  do  not  think  it 
a  safe  investment.  Servants  are  servants,  and  not  to  be 
trusted  overmuch,  you'll  find.     It  isn't  healthful  for  them  to 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  27 

be  too  much  herded  together ;  Avhen  collected  in  gangs,  they 
are  inclined  to  ferment,  to  get  riotous  and  rebellious';  in 
short.  Miss,  to  rise  against  their  masters,  and  all  that." 

I  pointed  to  the  Rappahannoc,  on  a  bluff  of  which  beautiful 
river  the  village  is  situated. 

"  Water  privilege  !  Ah,  yes  ;  and  I  do  suppose  you  Yan- 
kees would  improve  it  more  than  we  lazy  Southerners  do. 
Yes,  yes ;  you'd  convey  the  water  around  in  canals  and 
flumes,  and  turn  old  Rappahannoc  into  a  cloud  of  mist,  with 
your  perpetual-motion  water-wheels,  leaving  the  steamboats 
high  and  dry.  And  then  these  same  managers  would  straightly 
have  a  railroad  chartered  to  cut  up  and  ravage  our  planta- 
tions, to  wait  on  their  factories,  forsooth !  The  very  Goths 
and  Vandals  are  these  Yankees.  Should  they  swarm  down 
upon  us  —  bless  me!  —  we  should  fare  worse  than  the  old 
Romans." 

"I  o-rew  scarlet,  and  poured  forth  a  perfect  torrent  of 
Avords,  in  vindication  of  my  abused  people.  The  deaf  Doctor 
heard  not  a  word,  however  ;  for,  in  my  zeal,  I  forgot  to  raise 
my  voice  to  the  required  pitch  to  make  an  impression  on  his 
obtuse  tympanum.  He  saw  by  my  heightened  color  that  I 
was  vexed,  and  said,  apologetically, 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss.  I  did  not  intend  to  be  per- 
sonal. I  regard  you  now  as  a  Southerner ;  you'll  be  cordially 
received,  never  fear.  You'll  find  us  a  generous-hearted, 
hospitable  people.  We,  first-families-in-Virginia,  are  all 
cousins — linked  together  like  a  chain.     I'U  speak  a  good 


28  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

word  for  you,  although  there  isn't  the  least  need  of  it ;  you 
will  be  your  own  passport." 

And  I  found  myself  at  the  door  of  a  conspicuous-looking 
house,  having  arrived  at  my  destination. 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


i 


LETTER    II. 

IMPRESSIONS     AXD     REALITIES. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  20,  18—. 

Dear  S.  —  As  I  rang,  a  bevy  of  slave  children  darkened 
the  hall,  scudding  hither  and  thither  to  tell  massa  and  missee 
that  "  de  young  lady  done  come  !  "  Franck  Cameron  him- 
self came  to  the  open  door.  Although  he  had  altered  much, 
and  had  reached  the  very  respectable  height  of  six  feet  one 
inch,  yet  I  recognized  him  at  once,  he  was  so  like  dear,  good 
Aunt  Clara,  his  Quaker  mother,  whom  he  had  left  behind  in 
New-England,  half  heart-broken,  because  he  would  wed 
slavery  in  winning  a  wife. 

"  How  are  you  ?  how  are  you,  little  coz  ?  "  he  exclaimed, 
catching  me  up  as  of  old,  and  landing  me  on  the  elegant 
parlor  sofa.  It  was  evident  cousin  Franck  had  not  yet  be- 
come the  courtly  Southerner,  if  he  had  married  three  plan- 
tations. 

"  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry !  d'ye  hear  ?  Tell  your  mistress 
that  Miss  Pocahontas  is  in  the  parlor."  And  half  a  dozen 
bare,  black  feet  hied  away. 

"  I  must  show  you  my  Regina,"  continued  cousin  Franck, 
nodding  graciously.  Then,  chancing  to  recollect  that  there 
was  such  a  country  as  New-England,  and  that  some  of  his 
3* 


30  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

kin  dwelt  there,  he  asked  after  you  all  with  a  genuine  gush 
of  affectionate  interest. 

Soon  a  superbly-dressed  lady  gracefully  swept  into  the 
room,  and  I  Avas  presented  to  cousin  Kcgina  —  Mrs.  Cameron. 
She  is  of  medium  height,  with  a  finely-rounded  head,  a 
forehefv^  neither  high  nor  low,  but  fair,  and  significant  of 
intellect.  Her  luxuriant  hair  of  dark  brown,  eyes  blue  as 
the  sky,  wuth  black  fringes,  and  her  clear  rose  and  white 
complexion,  claim  your  admiration.  At  once  I  half  forgave 
cousin  Franck  that  he,  when  only  a  poor  tutor,  had  the 
audacity  to  fall  in  love  with  "  the  most  fascinating  lady  in 
the  Carolinas,"  albeit  she  was  a  widow  with  two  daughters, 
and  a  retinue  of  three  hundred  black  adherents.  The  next 
moment  cousin  Regina's  two  daughters  made  their  appear- 
ance ;  Ruth  and  Rosalie,  seventeen  and  nineteen.  Ruth  is 
a  plain,  little,  humped-back  thing ;  would  be  tall,  Avere  it  not 
for  her  sad  deformity.  Rosalie  is  as  tall  as  her  mother,  and 
greatly  resembles  her ;  as  we  were  introduced,  I  fancied 
that  she  quite  looked  down  on  my  slight  figure. 

Mrs.  Cameron  and  daughters,  as  well  as  cousin  Franck, 
were  dressed  for  an  evening  party ;  they  expressed  them- 
selves in  the  most  cordial  terms,  quite  happy  to  be  detained 
on  my  account ;  of  course,  I  found  no  difficulty  in  prevailing 
on  all  to  go,  save  Ruth,  who  was  heartily  glad  of  an  excuse. 
Poor,  dear  Ruth !  I  wish  you  could  see  her ;  you  could  not 
help  loving  her.  She  is  more  delicate-looking  than  Rosalie ; 
her  hair  is  darker,  and  her  face  paler.  Iler  eyes,  like  true 
soul-lamps,  are  lit  uj)  with  the  fire  of  intolligonco,  and  shining 


COUSIN    France's    household.  31 

out  from  under  the  heavy,  perceptive  brow,  defy  you  to  decide 
whether  they  are  blue  or  black.  There  is  a  softened,  mellow 
light  about  them,  that  tells  of  long  years  of  suffering.  Her 
mind  is  of  a  high  order.  After  the  first  surprise,  one  almost 
forgets  her  deformed  figure ;  her  dark,  rich  tresses,  with  the 
aid  of  a  cape  she  is  never  without,  partially  concealing  it.  I 
found  her  a  charming  companion  for  the  evening.  After  tea, 
passing  through  the  folding  doors,  she  conducted  me  to  the 
farther  parlor,  where,  seating  ourselves  on  the  sofa,  we  had  a 
pleasant,  cozy  chat.  At  length,  after  divers  discourse  highly 
interesting  to  ourselves,  like  two  sleepy  children  as  we  were, 
putting  the  cushions  on  the  middle  of  the  sofa,  and  our  heads 
together  on  them,  we  went  fast  asleep. 

How  long  we  had  slept  I  know  not,  when  we  were  aroused 
by  the  return  of  the  family.  They  seated  themselves  in  the 
parlor,  and  I  soon  heard  Dr.  G.'s  voice.  He  had  accom- 
panied them  home  from  the  party,  and  was  talking  of  slave 
purchases  as  ladies  talk  of  shopping. 

"What  say  you,  'Squire  Cameron,"  hallooed  the  Doctor; 
"  Can  you  sell  me  a  score  of  niggers  ?  " 

"Ahem — well,  really,  sir,  I  guess  we  must  try  and  accom- 
modate you.     How  will  it  be,  Mrs.  Cameron  ?  " 

"  We'll  see,  we'll  see ! "  the  lady  carelessly  replied,  but  in 
a  tone  loud  enough  for  Di*.  G.'s  ears ;  "  we're  overstocked, 
and  if  we  can  agree  on  the  price,  I  think  we  may  trade" 

I  looked  at  my  new  friend  to  see  how  the  idea  of  trading 
men,  women  and  children  as  cattle  affected  her.  She  had 
raised  her  head  from  the  cushion,  and  was  listening  as  if  for 


32  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

dear  life.  Her  eyes  were  lit  up  with  intense  feeling,  and 
her  cheek  was  blanched  with  anxious  fear.  Had  she  herself 
been  a  slave  in  apprehension  of  beina  sold,  she  could  hardly 
have  exhibited  greater  emotion.  I  perceived  that  she 
trembled,  and  knowing  that  she  must  be  very  frail,  and  fear- 
ing the  effects  of  excitement,  I  tried  to  soothe  her  by  ex- 
pressing sympathy.  I  just  put  my  arms  about  her  neck,  and 
gently  kissed  her,  whispering,  "  Dear,  dear  Ruth !  " 

She  embraced  me  with  great  affection,  and  looked  into  my 
eyes  with  those  beautiful  soul-orbs  of  hers,  and  in  a  moment 
our  hearts  were  one,  as  if  cemented  by  the  friendship  of 
years.  It  was  the  work  of  a  moment,  during  the  little  pause 
in  cousin  Regina's  reply  to  Dr.  G.  She  continued  in  the 
same  extra  tone : 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure  now.  Doctor,  which  of  my  people  I 
can  best  part  with.  Shall  we  waive  the  subject  until  morn- 
ing?" 

"As  you  please,  madam,"  replied  Dr.  G. 

The  conversation  became  general,  and  again  we  pressed 
our  heads  on  the  sofa-cushion.  Presently  Madam  Regina 
passed  into  the  farther  parlor,  where  we  were  making  believe 
napping,  and  exclaimed, 

"As  I  live !  here  are  the  young  ladies  fast  asleeji !  Cleo- 
patra, where  were  your  wits,  that  you  did  not  see  them  to 
their  rooms  ?  " 

And  the  dark,  statue-like  figure  that  had  stood  in  waiting 
in  the  corner,  with  folded  arms,  moved  slowly  and  mechani- 
cally around  us,  and  conducted  us  to  our  chambers.     The 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  33 

apartments  of  Rosalie,  Ruth  and  myself,  connect  with  each 
other,  Ruth's  being  the  middle  one,  much  to  the  satisfaction 
of  myself,  I  assure  you.  I  am  older  than  Ruth  by  two, 
almost  three  years ;  and  yet  she  is  so  matured  by  her  pe- 
culiar sufferings,  that  she  thinks  and  acts  with  the  strength 
and  discretion  of  a  strong-minded  woman.  I  cannot  fail  to 
improve  in  her  society.  Of  Rosalie,  I  will  tell  you  more 
anon.  I  must,  however,  say,  that  "the  inclination  of  my 
belief"  is,  that  she  is  a  belle,  selfish  in  the  ground- work  of 
her  nature,  but  still  amiably  generous  in  her  impulses. 

Madam  Regina  seems  the  calculating  lady-owner  of  ne- 
groes, whose  husband  is  only  a  convenient  supernumerary,  a 
master  pro  tern,  in  the  absence  of  the  mistress. 

Quite  early  in  the  morning,  before  sunrise,  while  as  yet 
none  but  the  servants  were  stirring,  Ruth  came  to  my  room 
already  di-essed.  She  had  had  a  sleepless  night.  She  came 
to  my  bedside,  and  after  asking  of  my  welfare,  and  apolo- 
gizing for  her  eai'ly  call,  said : 

"  You  do  not  think  that  mamma  will  sell  nurse  Sehna  ? 
0,  it  will  kill  me  if  she  does." 

"  Who  is  nurse  Sehna  ?  "  I  asked. 

"The  dearest,  best  soul  in  the  world — our  own  nurse" 
repHed  Ruth.  "She  is  very  intelligent  —  a  Christian,  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church — dear  mother's  sister  in 
the  church.     If  mamma  sells  her,  my  heart  will  break." 

"  Hope  for  the  best,"  I  said. 

"  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  bear  the  thought  that  any  of 
the  servants  should  be  sold,"  continued  the  dear  girl,  weep- 


34  cousix    franck's    nousEnoLD. 

ing.  She  at  length  went  on.  "All  the  servants  mamma  has 
with  her  she  brought  from  North  Carolina ;  the  negroes  are 
a  most  affectionate  race,  and  it  is  like  death  to  them  to  think 
of  being  sold  from  each  other.  Their  lot  is  but  sorrowful  at 
the  best,  and  this  rending  them  asunder  is  so  inhuman  !  " 

"  It  must  be  heart-breaking,"  I  exclaimed. 

"0,  it  is,"  Ruth  replied;  "and  when  I  own  slaves,  as 
soon  as  I  am  of  age,  there  shall  be  no  chance  to  have  them 
sold ;  I  shall  certainly  free  them.  Kosalie  says  she  makes 
sure  I  shall  think  very  differently  when  I  have  people  in 
possession ;  but  what  right  can  I  have  to  own  a  fellow-being  ?  " 

I  was  astonished  to  hear  this,  knowing,  as  I  did,  the  preju- 
dices of  her  education,  and  I  said: 

"You  are  in  the  right,  dear  Ruth,  but  I  supposed  all 
Southerners  united  in  upholding  slavery." 

"  Far  from  it,  very  far  from  it,"  she  replied ;  "  every  one 
who  will  listen  to  the  '  still  small  voice '  speaking  to  his  spirit, 
cannot  help  feeling  that  holding  property  in  man  is  wrong. 
Many  do  not  thus  listen,  and  I  might  not,  had  not  many  lone 
hours  of  suffering  taught  me  to  feel  for  those  in  '  bonds  as 
bound  with  them.' " 

"And  is  it  only  those  whom  God  afflicts,  that  have  just 
views  on  this  subject?" 

"0,  no,"  smilingly  replied  Ruth,  "there  are  the  out- 
spoken natures,  those  who,  braving  consequences,  freely 
speak  their  minds ;  these  are  few  among  us,  however.  Vir- 
ginia has  so  far  depreciated  from  her  old  renown,  that  her 
eons  have  not  the  courage  to  be  truly  free  in  thought  and 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  35 

expression.  But  then  we  can  point  you  to  Kentucky,  which 
Virginia  is  proud  to  claim  as  her  own  daughter — a  fine- 
grown  child,  skilled  in  all  Western  accomplishments  —  we 
can  point  you  to  Kentucky  as  she  is  even  now,  expressing 
her  own  and  her  mother's  opinion  of  slavery." 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  the  battle  is  there,  to  some  extent, 
being  fought  on  slave  soil." 

''  It  is  the  same  with  us,"  Ruth  replied,  "  only  less  openly. 
"We  have  many  more  discussions  than  you  suppose.  The 
subject  is  ever  obtruding  itself,  let  us  dispose  of  it  as  we 
will.  The  final  disposal  is  not  yet  made ;  meauAvhile  con- 
science is  at  work.  A  fear  of  encouraging  Northern  agitators 
in  their  incendiary  efibrts,  our  Virginians  say,  is  the  reason 
they  have  swerved- from  their  habitual  frankness,  and  stifled 
their  convictions  on  this  subject.  And,  indeed,  who  would 
be  taunted  when  in  trouble  ?  "What  but  taunts  could  we  ex- 
pect from  the  hot-headed  intermeddlers,  if  the  extent  of  our 
convictions  were  fully  known  ?  The  truth  is,  we  are  in  a 
sad  case.  As  I  have  often  heard  the  more  reflective  of  our 
planters  say,  '  We  are  on  the  brink  of  a  volcano.'  All  are 
satisfied  of  the  difliculty  we  are  in,  but  the  safe  extrication 
is  the  problem.  And  what  increases  the  fearfulness  of  our 
situation,  is  the  sin  involved  in  it  —  'we  are  verily  guilty 
concerning  our  brother.'  Merciful  Heavens  !  what  will  be- 
come of  us  ?  It  seems  an  easy  matter  to  me  to  free  myself 
from  the  guilt  of  slaveholding,  as  soon  as  I  shall  become  the 
owner  of  slaves  ;  it  will  be  by  giving  them  that  liberty  which 
is  already  their  own  by  absolute  right." 


m. 


¥ 


36  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"And  would  you  not  have  some  misgivings,  when  you 
thought  of  the  consequences  to  them  and  to  yourself?"  I 
asked. 

"  Consequences !  what  is  the  danger  of  doing  right,  com- 
pared with  the  danger  of  doing  wrong  ?  And  as  to  the 
effect  of  emancipation  on  the  slaves,  look  at  the  British  ex- 
periment in  the  West  India  Islands ;  how  has  its  success  put 
to  flight  all  the  croaking  that  prophesied  of  its  dire  conse- 
quences. No,  no,  my  dear  friend ;  I  am  but  a  poor  girl,  I 
know,  but  I  have  looked  at  this  thing  a  great  while,  in  the 
light  of  conscience,  and  in  the  light  of  reason,  as  a  question 
of  principle  and  as  one  of  policy ;  I  have  pondered  on  it  in 
hours  of  solitude  and  suffering,  and  reflected  on  it  more 
coolly  and  dispassionately  amid  the  every-day  scenes  of  life, 
and  it  is  my  fuU  and  settled  conviction,  that  to  emancipate  is 
a  duty,  and  that  it  will  prove  a  blessing  to  all  concerned.  I 
have  some  little  talent ;  there  is  my  music  and  drawing,  and 
I  delight  in  teaching.  And  even  should  this  resource  fail 
me,  I  fancy  I  have  enough  of  the  inventive  and  constructive 
faculty,  with  a  little  practice,  to  make  me  a  successful  mil- 
liner." 

"  Then  you  would  not  shrink  from  self-maintenance  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  Why  should  I,  coz  ?  "  said  Ruth,  with  beautiful  earnest- 
ness. "  I'll  tell  you,  the  happiest  people  on  the  globe  are  those 
who  '  eat  their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  the  brow,'  as  the  great 
Father  of  men  designed.  Look  at  your  own  prosperous 
and  happy  New-England.     0,  how  I  wish  I  had  been  born 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  37 

there !  I  would  never  have  wandered  thence,  and  set  foot 
in  the  shimbering  South,  as  you  have  done.  No,  no ;  but 
I'm  so  glad  you  have  come.  Now  I  have  some  one  to  open 
my  heart  to,  and  it  is  overflowing  with  thoughts  none  of  my 
family  can  understand." 

Thus  we  discoursed,  I  know  not  how  long,  until  towering 
Cleopatra,  Ruth's  maid,  came  in,  saying, 

"  Why,  hi !  if  de  young  ladies  isn't  dressed  an'  waitin, 
widout  old  'Patra's  help!  Father's  life!  ye's  right  smart 
lively,  dat  is  a  fack  !  An'  now  ye  can  go  right  down  mejuntly, 
for  dey's  totin'  in  de  breakfas'  rapid." 

"  "VVe  shall  be  in  good  time,  then,  Cleopatra,"  pleasantly 
replied  Ruth. 

"  Dat  you  will,  Miss  Ruth ;  and  you  alla's  is.  You're  a 
'markable  seasonable  young  lady,  dat  you  is,  if  it  is  old  'Patra 
dat  say  it.  Now,  if  dis  shere  new  young  lady  is  a  mate  to 
you  in  hclpin'  herself,  and  not  makin'  servants  trouble,  wont 
we  have  easy  times  ?  I  reckons  Mistress  '11  let  me  be  maid 
to  ye  both,  and  den  Fll  be  bound  every-which-way.  I'll  be 
too  much  'count  to  be  sold  dis  shere  crop."  And  the  tall 
woman  looked  inquiringly  at  me,  as  if  to  satisfy  herself  what 
sort  of  a  person  I  might  be. 

"  We  shall  have  easy  times,  I  makes  no  matter  of  doubt," 
continued  Cleopatra,  putting  her  arms  akimbo,  and  looking 
complacently ;  but  isn't  I  glad  I  ain't  Miss  Rosalie's  maid  ? 
Hi !  she  de  most  particularist  body  livin',  and  turn  every- 
which-way  ;  dey's  no  suiting  her." 
4 


38  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  Hush,  Cleopatra,  said  Ruth,  "  you  know  I  do  not  Uke  you 
to  speak  evil  of  any  one." 

"  No,  Miss,  dat  you  doesn't.  Miss,  and  I  love  you  for't.  I 
wont  do  so  agin,  see  if  I  do.  You  don't  want  'Patra  to  be 
biting  de  backs  of  dem  dat  isn't  prisent,  and  I  wont  do  so, 
indeed  I  wont.  But  how  'mazing  different  you  is  from  Miss 
Rosalie !  'Pears  like  ye  can't  be  any  kin,  no  how,  ye  is  so 
entirely  contrary ! " 

"  Hush !  hush ! "  said  Ruth. 

"  Dat  I  will,  Miss,  rapid.  Wy,  Mina  has  more  sti'ouble 
dressin'  and  undressin'  Miss  Rosalie,  dan  if  she  was  an  in- 
fant baby,  I  makes  sure.  And  den  dares  all  de  Avaitin',  and 
traipsin',  and  totin',  and  tendin'." 

Thus  Cleopatra's  tongue  continued  to  run,  as  we,  obeying 
the  summons  of  the  bell,  ran  down  stairs  to  the  breakfast- 
room.  Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER  III. 

SLAVE  TRADING CONSCIENCE. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  22,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  As  to  Dr.  G.'s  errand,  his  deafness,  and  the 
consequent  volume  of  voice  with  which  he  has  been  accom- 
modated, "  has  released  Grimalkin  from  the  reticule,"  or,  to 
speak  in  more  vulgar  phrase,  "  has  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag." 
Every  slave  in  the  house  knows  it,  and  the  confused  hurry- 
ing hither  and  thither  would  remind  you  of  the  consternation 
in  a  bee-hive  at  the  invasion  of  a  caterpillar.  I  doubt  not 
that  the  negroes,  one  and  all,  Avould  Uke  to  imitate  the  bees' 
method  of  disarming  an  enemy,  and  embalm  the  dear  Doctor 
at  once,  rather  than  he  should  carry  off  any  of  their  number. 

Hannibal,  the  dining-room  servant,  was  in  a  perfect  fidget 
during  breakfast.  Wlien  he  passed  a  cup  of  coffee,  his  hand 
trembled  so  that  he  well  nigh  swamped  the  waiter  with  slops  ; 
and  then  he  was  so  absent !  I  might  have  thought  these 
things  habitual  with  him,  had  not  his  mistress  raised  her 
delicate  hand,  and  rolled  up  her  eyes  after  the  manner  of  a 
new  astonishment.  Like  his  illustrious  namesake,  Hannibal 
is  not  to  be  despised  for  his  looks ;  and  much  I  doubt  if  he 
has  as  dark  a  brow  as  had  the  hero  of  Carthage.  He  is  a 
quadroon,  not  more  shaded  with  sable  than  most  Spaniards, 


40  COUSIN     FRANCK  S      HOUSEHOLD'. 


Italians  and  Greeks,  to  say  nothing  of  hundreds  of  millions 
of  Asiatics.  If  color  be  the  criterion,  he  has  certainly  three- 
fourths  of  a  right  to  himself.  Indeed,  if  he  were  a  Spaniard, 
he  would  be  called  very  distinguished  looking,  and  would  be 
turning  the  heads  of  half  the  girls  with  his  appearance  and 
address. 

But  Hannibal's  eyes  glowed  on  Dr.  G.,  now  and  then,  as 
if  fires  were  burning  within.  Nevertheless,  the  conversa- 
tion at  the  table  went  on  just  as  if  such  a  thing  was  not 
present.  Cousin  Franck  and  the  Doctor  kept  up  quite  an 
animated  talk  on  various  subjects,  all  more  or  less  connected 
with  the  Florida  plantation.  Madam  Regina  presided  with 
an  easy  grace,  and  her  self-complacent  countenance  certainly 
did  not  betray  any  special  commotion  within,  akin  to  that 
wliich  had  made  sleepless  the  pillow  of  her  Kuth. 

When  we  were  nearly  through  breakfast,  Rosalie  made 
her  appearance,  —  punctuality  at  this  meal  not  being  a  point 
of  etiquette  at  cousin  Franck's. 

On  returning  to  my  room,  I  found  Cleopatra  highly  ex- 
cited. She  had  just  been  quarrelling  with  Mima,  Rosalie's 
maid,  and,  once  under  way,  she  knew  not  when  to  stop. 

"It's  one  ting  to  ft^el  mighty  cranky,  and  anoder  ting  to  be 
it;  dat  tis,  Mima.  Eber  so  many  folks  in  dis  shere  worl' 
tinks  dey's  mighty  big  concarns,  like  de  swelled  up  toad, 
and  dey's  jest  as  good  for  notin'.  Ony  to  tink,  dat  lazy  hussy, 
Mima,  dat  neber  arnt  de  salt  in  her  bone,  tinks  I'll  be  sold 
afore  her?  She  tink,  too,  dat  Iliinuibnl  takes  a  heap  of 
shine  to  her,  jest  as  if  she  wasn't  as  black  as  de  chimney 


COUSIN    fhanck's    household.  41 


back.  I  makes  sure  sicli  gemun  as  Hannibal  won't  have 
much  to  say  to  sich  hussies  as  Mima ! "  and  Cleopatra  stopped 
to  observe  herself  in  the  glass,  and  directly  felt  in  better 
humor,  as  all  people  do  in  a  fit  of  complacency. 

I  seated  myself  by  a  Avindow  that  looked  out  on  the  kitchen. 
A  Southern  kitchen  you  have  never  seen,  and  I  will  slightly 
sketch  the  one  before  me.  It  is  a  small,  one-room  building, 
entirely  detached  from  the  house,  some  three  or  four  rods 
distant.  It  is  sixteen  feet  square,  perhaps,  and  its  chimney 
is  on  the  outside.  Its  style  of  architecture  is  not  very  orna- 
mental, it  must  be  admitted,  but  it  is  quite  convenient,  nev- 
ertheless. There  is  a  fine,  large  fireplace,  also  an  oven 
within,  thus  rendering  the  apartment  more  roomy  by  turning 
the  chimney  out  of  doors.  By  the  way,  the  Southerners 
think  us  little  better  than  savages,  because  we  have  not 
adopted  their  custom  of  excommunicating  the  kitchen  from 
our  dwellings. 

Although  it  was  chilly,  I  sat  down  by  the  window,  open 
for  the  morning  airing.  Mine  is  a  corner  room,  one  window 
looking  into  the  kitchen  yard,  and  one  into  the  garden. 
I  noticed,  through  the  half-closed  blind,  a  '^quantity"  of 
children,  liable  to  be  sold,  earnestly  discussing  the  question 
that  so  agitated  the  laborers  of  the  household.  They  vividly 
reminded  me  of  Irving's  bellipotent  Dutchmen,  as,  with  Avar- 
like  demonstrations,  they  jabbered  away  under  my  window. 

"  Ut  you  gwine  do,  ef  dey  sells  you,  Tom  ?  "  asked  Dick 
of  the  great  man  of  the  company. 

"  Do !  dey'U  see  ut  dis  nig  '11  do,  I  reckons !  ef  dey  comes 


42  COUSIN    frakck's    household. 

nigh  me ;  'pears  like,  dey'll  cotch  ut  ain't  good  for  dere 
healths  !  "  bravely  said  Tom,  fistifying  with  all  the  eloquence 
of  a  stump-speech  oratpr,  one  foot  resting  consequentially  on 
a  dilapidated  wash-bench. 

"  Dey'd  better  be  done,  if  dey  touch  me,"  said  little,  tat- 
tered Harr}',  whose  greasy  lips  suggested  that  he  had  made 
acquaintance  with  some  unwatched  fry-kettle  of  the  kitchen. 

"  I  say  now,  boys,"  said  chubby  Jupe,  "  dat  ar  Dactar  orter 
be  ducked  in  de  river ;  dat's  ut  I  votes  for." 

"An  so  he  hab,  a  deflFee  cold  un,  make  his  tecf  go  chatte, 
chatte,"  added  little  Effie,  rubbing  her  pretty  hands,  and 
dancing  up  and  down,  for  the  sake  of  her  half-frozen  feet. 

"  Yes,  boys,  dat's  de  go ! "  exclaimed  chubby  Jupe,  who 
seemed  to  rival  Tom  as  poUtical  leader,  "  dat's  de  go !  Bless 
me!  I  wish  a  heap  dat  some  ob  de  hus  people  ud  be  right 
smart  libely,  an  hab  him  under ;  'pears  like  it's  high  time." 

"  I  wish  so  a  heap,"  said  half-clad  Johnny,  shivering. 

"  An'  so  duz  I," — "  and  I," — "  and  I,"  replied  half  a  dozen 
echoes. 

"  De  case  is,  young  uns,"  gravely  remarked  Tom,  seeking 
to  call  attention  to  himself,  "  'pears  like  de  case  is,  that  dat 
i\r  Ductar  is  gwine  to  tote  us  off  to  Clorida,  an'  de  case  is, 
young  uns,  'pears  like  he'd  orter  be  right  smart  sick  abed," 
and  the  fat  paw  of  the  little  pleader  came  down  on  the  wash- 
bench  with  a  very  valorous  emphasis. 

A  murmur  of  applause  buzzed  through  the  group. 

"  Dat's  dc  go,  Tom  ! "  exclaimed  Jupe  ;  "  sposin  de  bench, 
shere,  be  de  T>uclai;  wouldn't  he  kotch  it?"  and  he  gave  it  a 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  43 

kick  and  a  thump,  and  directly  tlie  wliole  troop  kicked  and 
thumped  the  old  bench,  until,  if  it  had  been  the  Doctor,  he 
must  have  been  pretty  thoroughly  mauled.  At  this  stage  of 
operations,  however,  cousin  Franck's  "right  hand  man," 
Philip  Augustus,  seven  years  old,  issued  from  the  back  hall 
door,  and  whip  in  hand,  began : 

"What  you  up  to  now,  you  nigs?"  using  an  adjec- 
tive we  may  not  quote  ;  "  you  thought  your  master  wasn't  on 
hand,  eh  ?  "  and  as  the  little  flock  scampered,  some  for  the 
kitchen,  and  others  for  Aunt  Selma's  white-washed  cabin,  the 
lordly  boy  ran,  too,  hitting  now  one  and  then  another  with  his 
stinging  lash. 

The  two  little  girls,  Effie  and  Jule,  who  Avere  too  terrified 
to  keep  out  of  his  way,  were  mercilessly  chastised  for  the 
offence  of  the  whole  company.  The  poor  things  screamed 
as  if  badly  hurt,  and  half  frightened  out  of  their  wits ;  but 
the  promising  young  slave  lord  continued  to  apply  the  lash 
until  they  came  in  sight  of  Aunt  Selma's  cottage  door,  in 
which  stood  the  dear  soul  herself,  looking  at  Philip  Augustus 
as  if  she  would  bring  him  to  account  for  his  cruelty.  On 
seeing  her,  he  appeared  ashamed,  and,  attempting  to  raise  a 
whistle,  slunk  back  to  the  house,  beating  his  boots  with  his 
whip. 

"  Well  done,  Phil,  that's  a  man !  "  called  out  cousin  Franck, 
who  was  promenading  the  hall,  in  conversation  Avith  Dr.  G., 
having  witnessed  a  part  of  the  prank  just  performed ;  "  you 
are  father's  brave  boy,  that  you  are.  Here,  Doctor,  is  the 
boy  for  you ;  he  was  born  to  rule ;  the  reins  of  government 


44  cousix    franck's    household. 


are  his  by  inherent  right.  He'll  make  his  niggers  stand 
round,  one  of  these  days ;  he  knows  how  it  is  done.  Why, 
sir,  if  any  little  difficulty  arises  among  the  young  servants, 
I've  only  to  send  Philip  Augustus,  and,  like  another  Napo- 
leon, he  straightens  matters  at  once." 

I  had  just  closed  the  window,  and,  seating  myself  by  the 
fire,  was  shivering  an  accompaniment  to  the  chilly  blast 
without,  when  a  knock,  and  cousin  Rosalie  entered.  She 
looked  sweetly,  in  her  neat,  would-be-negligent  morning 
dress — her  studied  dishabille,  and  I  knew  that  she  had  come 
to  make  me  a  friendly,  unceremonious  call,  as  she  brought 
her  embroidery.  Taking  her  seat  on  the  sofa,  which  I  had 
wheeled  to  the  fireside,  she  said,  "  Mamma  is  very  much  en- 
gaged this  morning,  Ruth  is  indisposed,  and  father  and  Dr. 
G.  are  monopohzed  with  business  affairs,  so  I've  trotted  in 
to  keep  you  from  getting  lonely  and  homesick." 

I  thanked  her,  and  thought  it  very  kind,  of  course. 

"  0,  we  had  such  a  delightful  jiarty  last  night  at  the  M.'s  ! " 
she  exclaimed,  with  animation,  "  you  ought  to  have  been 
there.  Everybody  in  the  village  was  there,  and  some  dis- 
tinguished strangers,  and  we  had  such  a  lively  time  !  Nothing 
but  dancing  was  wanting  to  make  it  as  agreeable  as  possible. 
Margarette  M.,  who  is  very  religious,  and  has  been  confirmed 
of  late,  did  not  wish  a  dance.  O,  but  you  ought  to  have 
been  there.  I  should  so  admire  to  present  you  to  my  friends ; 
they'll  be  calling  on  you  soon.  As  for  the  young  ladies, 
you'll  not  think  them  very  beautiful,  when  I  tell  you  I  stand 
the  acknowledged  belle  among  them.     I  win  my  laurels  for 


COUSIN    fkaxck's    iiouskiiold.  45 

looks   by  lamp-light.      It  ought   always  to   be  evening   for 
my  sake," 

I  smiled,  and  said,  "  Then  you  do  not  love  the  sun  ?  " 

"Ah,  no,"  she  affectedly  replied;  "the  gairish  day  —  it 
has  no  sentiment,  no  poetry  about  it ;  and  then  it  is  so  unmer- 
ciful in  exjiosing  sallow  complexions." 

"I  thought  everybody  and  everything  praised  the  sun- 
light," said  I. 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Rosalie,  knowingly,  "  you  are  mistaken 
there,  my  good  cousin.  Dyspeptic  and  nervous  people  hold 
it  in  abhorrence.  It's  too  plain-spoken  in  the  matter  of  their 
looks,  dear.  Once  it  was  all  the  same  to  me,  until  I  became 
belle,  and,  studying  my  looks,  found  that  I  was  far  more 
beautiful  at  evening  than  by  daylight ;  since  then,  I  have 
regarded  that  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours  with  contempt." 
And  the  spoiled  beauty  actually  worked  her  hps  into  a  hearty 
pout,  as  if  vexed  that  the  sun  itself  was  not  her  obedient 
slave.  Nevertheless,  she  plied  her  needle  most  zealously — 
she  was  embroidering  a  pair  of  slippers  for  the  minister  — 
and  my  thoughts  Avandered,  wondering  which  of  the  people 
would  be  sold,  and  how  they  would  bear  up  under  the  afflic- 
tion. O,  how  my  heart  panted  to  save  them  this  brute  fate ! 
Rosalie  bi-oke  in  on  my  meditations,  by  saying, 

"  Our  Rector,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brincherhoff,  was  at  the  party, 
cousin." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  "  said  I,  half  absent. 

"  Yes ;  and  he  is  such  a  devoted  man !  He  is  wholly  ab- 
sorbed in  the  interests  of  the  church.     He  lives  tlip  1'A»  -^  - 


46  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

saint,  and  makes  most  delightful  paroclual  calls.     If  any  one 
reaches  heaven,  I  make  sure  he  will,  he  is  so  holy." 

"  By  his  good  works  ?  "  asked  I. 

"  Yes,  measurably,  as  mamma  says.  He  fasts,  and  goes 
through  the  prayer-book  every  day,  and  I'm  not  sure  that  he 
does  not  do  penance.  He  has  made  the  tour  of  Europe, 
spent  some  time  at  Rome,  and  his  mind  is  stored  like  a 
picture  gallery.  He  is  charming  in  conversation ;  he  calls 
us  young  ladies  young  sisters  of  charity.  I  do  hope  you'll 
hear  him  discourse  on  the  Apostolic  Succession,  he  is  so  clear 
and  conclusive  in  his  delightful  way  of  reasoning.  Of  course 
he  is  orthodox  High  Church,  and  an  intimate  acquaintance 
of  Dr.  Pusey ;  indeed,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  he  graduated  at 
Oxford  some  fifteen  years  ago.  Ah,  he  makes  religion  so 
attractive  to  the  eye,  the  ear,  and  to  the  sentiments  of  the 
heart,  that  one  must  needs  fall  in  love  with  it.  Indeed,  one 
must  be  very  wicked  not  to  be  religious." 

"  He  must  be  a  very  eccentric  minister." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth.  He  is  a 
widower,  and  ever  so  many  are  quarreling  for  him.  I  think 
him  too  good  for  anybody  on  earth  — 

"  Bless  your  heart,  my  dear  little  Ruth ! "  exclaimed 
Rosalie,  interrupting  herself  as  Ruth  entered,  "how  jiale 
you  are!  Are  you  playing  ghost?  "What  ails  you,  little 
chick  ?  Come,  puss,  do  tell  us  what's  the  matter  ? "  But 
Ruth  silently  seated  herself  between  Rosalie  and  myself. 

*'  Ah,  I  reckon  I  read  you  ! "  exclaimed  Rosalie ;  "  it's  the 
prospect  of  a  sale  that's  eating  out  your  life.     Now,  sis,  be- 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  47 

fore  I  would  be  so  extra  foolish !  AVhat  do  you  care  for  the 
stupid  people  ?  the  more  sold  the  better,  I  reckon." 

"  O,  Rosalie,"  replied  Ruth,  "  how  can  you  talk  so  ?  How 
would  you  like  to  have  me  sold,  for  example  ?  " 

"  You  !  of  course  not ;  you  are  my  sister.  Indeed,  I  should 
make  a  poor  living  without  my  good  little  Ruth,"  said 
Rosalie. 

"  But  it  would  be  no  harder  for  us  to  separate,  than  for 
the  servants,"  pleaded  Ruth. 

"Nonsense,  puss!"  said  Rosalie,  lightly,  "how  senti- 
mental! It's  not  comfortable  to  think  of  our  servants  as 
having  human  feelings,  so  pray  dismiss  such  a  prosy  thought. 
But  who  ever  saw  the  like  ?  What  a  hubbub  there  is  among 
them  this  morning !  One  would  think  they  all  expected  to 
be  sold.  What's  got  into  them  ?  Let's  go  and  call  on  nurse 
Selma,  and  see  if  she  is  as  calm  as  ever." 

"  O,  yes,"  rejoined  Ruth,  "  let's  go  at  once."  And  away 
we  went,  to  call  at  the  good  nurse's  cabin.     - 

As  we  reached  the  landing  at  the  foot  of  the  hall  stairs, 
the  parlor  door  being  open,  we  could  not  well  avoid  seeing 
Madam  Regina,  sitting  by  the  centre  table,  signing  a  bill  of 
sale.  She  looked  up  a  little  apprehensively  as  she  saw  us, 
and  as  we  hurried  along,  I  noticed  that  Ruth  was  quite  pale, 
and  Rosalie  just  excited  enough  to  have  rosy  cheeks. 

"  It  cannot  be  that  mamma  wiU  sell  any  people  to-day," 
said  Ruth,  evidently  trying  to  sustain  herself  with  that  hope. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  Rosalie,  with  the  semblance  of  a  care- 
less air. 


48  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  She  2)romIse(l  me  as  mucli,  not  an  hour  ago,"  replied 
Ruth,  "  when  we  were  giving  out  things  from  the  store-room. 
She  begged  me  not  to  distress  myself — she  would  not  sell 
any  peoph?  at  present." 

"  And  she  told  me,  directly  after  breakfast,"  responded 
Rosalie,  "  that  she  must  sell  half  a  dozen,  at  least ;  her  purse 
is  getting  light,  and  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  decent  appear- 
ance in  dress  and  entertainments,  unless  it  is  replenished  by 
sales  now  and  then.  "We  have  often  had  servants  sold,  and 
you  never  so  took  it  to  heart.     "Why  do  you  now?" 

"  I  am  older,  and  can  reflect  better,"  replied  Ruth. 

*'  Then  itls  plain  you  ought  to  be  more  reasonable,  and 
not  grieve  mother,"  argued  Rosalie,  "  it's  her  business,  not 
ours." 

Ruth  received  this  reproof  of  her  elder  sister  in  silence, 
save  a  sigh.  As  w'e  passed  out  the  open  hall  door,  (a  Vir- 
ginian's doors,  by  the  way,  are  always  hospitably  open,  in 
w  inter  as  well  as  in  summer,)  we  met  Hannibal,  bringing  in 
a  hod  of  coal  for  the  parlor.  It  was  plainly  to  be  seen  by 
his  expression,  that  he  was  enlightened  respecting  the  state 
of  affairs.  He  bore  himself,  however,  very  much  as  one  of 
our  Yankees  would  have  done  in  the  like  case.  He  looked 
aroused,  on  the  alert,  and  enterprising,  as  if  contriving  for 
an  emergency.  I  trembled  for  him,  for  I  felt  sure  that  if  he 
should  be  on  the  list  to  be  sold  and  transported  to  the  far 
South,  he  would  be  desperate. 

Nurse  Selma's  cabin,  which  we  found  just  beyond  the 
farther  garden  gate,  half  hidden  from  tlic  house  by  a  haw- 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  49 

thorn  hedge,  is  superior  to  anything  of  the  kind  in  this  vi- 
cinity ;  it  luis  two  rooms,  and  is  comfortably  furnislied.  The 
reguhir  nursery  is  an  apartment  in  cousin  Franck's  house ; 
but  for  the  sake  of  quiet  to  its  inmates,  Sehna  takes  the 
chiklren  to  her  little  hut  by  day,  and  returns  with  them  to 
the  nursery  at  night.  Little  Clara,  six  years  old,  and  "Wash- 
ington, five,  constitute  the  nursery  gentry,  and  two  noisier 
children  never  thrived.  Selma  received  us  with  great  cordi- 
ality and  propriety,  and  she  is  evidently  a  superior  woman. 
You  could  not  look  into  her  genial,  beaming,  dark  eye,  without 
wishing  to  look  again.  Her  glossy  hair  is  prettily  arranged 
beneath  a  matronly  cap,  made  by  Ruth  and  Rosalie,  who  vie 
with  each  other  in  making  her  presents.  You  would  pro- 
nounce her  absolutely  handsome  ;  she  is  no  darker  than  some 
of  our  Northern  brunettes.  She  was  sitting  in  a  small 
rocking-chaii',  Httle  TVashington  in  her  arms,  Clara  at  her 
feet,  and  six  or  eight  little  negro  children,  belonging  to  dif- 
ferent cabins,  clustered  around  her.  She  is  the  jwint  of 
attraction  to  the  children,  black  and  white.  Master  Philip 
Augustus  has  measurahly,  as  the  Southerners  say,  got  beyond 
her  care  by  day  —  happy  riddance,  no  doubt  —  but  at  night- 
fall he  is  as  glad  of  her  motherly  help  to  put  him  comfortably 
in  his  little  nursery  bed,  and  sing  him  to  sleep,  as  Clara  and 
Washington.  Ruth  and  Rosalie  call  her  Aunt  Selma ;  in- 
deed, she  is  everybody's  aunt,  although  not  as  old  as  Madam 
Regina.  It  was  just  twelve,  and  nurse  Selma  had  no  indi- 
cations of  breakfast.  You  must  know  that  twelve  o'clock  is 
the  servant's  breakfast  hour ;  they  are  not  supposed  to  have 
5 


50  COCSIX      FRAXCK's      HOrSEIIOLD. 

the  leisure  to  be  hungry  until  after  their  morning  work  is 
done.  After  kissing  Aunt  Selma,  introducing  me,  and  chat- 
ting a  moment,  Ruth  said, 

"How  is  it,  Aunt  St-hiia,  do  you  live  without  eating?  I 
see  no  breakfast." 

"  Dear  child,  no,"  she  repUed ;  "  I  have  all  I  need  —  I  am 
not  hungry  this  morning." 

"  Now,  Aunty,"  said  Ro=iaIie,  "  you  needn't  make  believe 
fast,  because  you  think  trouble  is  in  the  wind.  You'll  not  be 
harmed ;  you  are  too  useful ;  we  prize  you  too  much  for 
that." 

An    unutterable    look   of    anguish   was    Sclma's    only 
reply. 

"  You  must  have  some  breakfast,"  exclaimed  Ruth,  "  I'll 
run  and  get  you  some ; "  and  she  was  gone. 

"  Now  do  tell  us,  Aunt  Selma,"  said  Rosalie,  "  what  is  the 
matter?     Are  you  afraid  of  being  sold?" 

"ili^  name  is  on  the  bill  of  sale,"  she  calmly  replied. 

"  It  is  ?  I  cannot  believe  it !  "  replied  Rosalie.  "  Why, 
what  can  mamma  be  thinking  aljout  ?  There  isn't  another 
servant  on  the  land  can  quiet  the  children  but  you.  We 
shall  have  pretty  times,  truly.  The  nursery  will  be  all  over 
the  house,  and  the  children  will  be  screaming  from  morning 
till  night.  I  shall  be  ashamed  to  liave  any  gentlemen  call ; 
I  shall,  indeed."  And  Rosalie,  with  the  greatest  simplicity, 
showed  the  exact  depth  of  her  heart,  and  her  capacity  for 
sympa.hizing  with  a  fellow-being  in  distress.  Ruth  now 
came  in  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  slices  of  cold  bacon,  and  hot 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  51 


muffins,  and  placing  the  waiter  on  the  table,  begged  nurse 
Selma  to  eat. 

"  Thank  you,  child ;  you  are  very  kind,  but  I  do  not  need 
to  eat  now,"  she  replied. 

"What  is  the  matter,  dear  Aunt  Selma?"  said  Ruth,  put- 
ting her  arms  about  her  neck ;  "  will  you  not  tell  your  own 
Ruth  ?  "  The  nurse  whispered  a  word  in  Ruth's  ear.  "  May 
God  preserve  you  !  "  she  exclaimed,  greatly  agitated.  "  I 
cannot  believe  it  —  I'll  go  directly  in  and  ask  mamma ;  "  but 
slie  was  nearly  overcome,  and,  trembling  from  head  to  foot, 
needed  the  support  of  Rosalie  and  myself  to  leave  the  room. 
Meanwhile,  the  valiant  little  negroes,  Jupe,  Johnny,  Tom, 
Dick  and  Harry,  with  Washington  and  Clara,  were  skirmish- 
ing for  the  choice  muffins  and  bacon.  The  little  girls,  Effie 
and  Jule,  stood  apai-t,  the  former  wiping  her  eyes  Avith  the 
corner  of  her  apron,  and  the  latter,  with  one  finger  in  her 
mouth,  seeming  sadly  puzzled. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  exclaimed  cousin  Regina,  as  we 
entered  the  parlor ;   "  are  you  ill,  Ruth  ?  " 

"  Please  tell  me,  mother,  what  names  you  have  on  the  bill 
of  sale  ? "  said  Ruth,  glancing  on  that  document,  which  lay 
exposed  on  the  centre  table. 

"You  can  read  for  yourself,"  replied  Madam  Regina, 
haughtily. 

Dr.  G.  was  sitting  on  an  ottoman,  every  now  and  then 
saying,  "Ahem!"  Cousin  Franck,  with  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  Avas  striding  to  and  fro  across  the  room,  unconsciously 
whistling,  "  Hail  Columbia." 


52  corsix    franck's    household. 

"  Oh,  mother,  is  it  possible  ? "  asked  Ruth,  in  a  grieved 
tone,  after  she  had  read  tlic  bill. 

"  Yes,  child,  it  is  possible,"  replied  the  lady,  with  an  effort 
to  be  self-possessed.  "  I  have  thought  the  matter  over  calmly 
and  collectedly ;  I  have  looked  at  it  in  every  light ;  I  have 
solemnly  prayed  over  it,  and  am  positive  that  it  is  a  CJiris- 
tian  duty  to  sell  the  servants  you  see  described  in  that 
bill." 

The  Doctor  inclined  his  new  ear  trumpet  so  as  to  catch  the 
earnest  words  being  spoken,  and  added,  as  cousin  Regina 
ceased, 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Miss  Ruth ;  you  surely  will  not  object  to 
me  as  a  master  for  some  of  your  servants.  I  assure  you  they 
shall  be  well  cared  for.  I  am  a  physician  ;  if  they  are  sick, 
who  so  well  qualified  as  myself  to  administer  relief?  You 
know  that  I  am  proverbially  humane.  I  do  suppose,  if  your 
father,  mother  and  myself  have  anything  to  answer  for  in 
relation  to  servants,  it  is  in  being  humane  overmuch ;  spoil- 
ing our  servants  by  indulgence." 

Ruth  burst  into  teai's.  Rosalie  sank  into  an  easy-chair, 
and  swayed  to  and  fro  quite  comfortably. 

"  Daughter,  I'm  sorry  to  see  this,  very  sorry,"  said  cousin 
Franck,  stopping  opposite  Ruth  ;  "  I  must  say,  I'm  very  sorry 
to  see  you  so  intent  on  getting  up  a  scene." 

"  Yes,  daughter,"  added  Madam  Regina,  "  anything  but  a 
scene  at  parting  with  a  few  people  !  It  is  shockingly  unlady- 
like, and  I  really  must  apologize  for  you  to  Dr.  O.  I  must 
say,  that  I  never  brought  up  my  daughters  to  sentimentalize 


COUSIN    fraxck's    household.  53 

in    this   way.      It    is    purely   original   with   them,    jjiirely 
oi'iginal." 

"With  Ruth,  please,"  interposed  Rosalie,  slipping  her 
shoulders  out  of  any  responsibility  in  the  aiFair. 

"  Miss  Ruth  is  not  so  much  to  be  blamed,"  said  the  Doc- 
tor; "she  is  evidently  very  kind-hearted,  and  fond  of  pets, 
like  many  young  ladies  I  have  met,  who  have  a  passion  for 
cats ;  they  often  get  so  interested  in  these  animals,  as  to  de- 
light in  nothing  so  much  as  in  their  society,  and  if  one 
chances  to  stray  off,  or  get  killed,  then  you  may  be  sure  there 
is  a  lamentation!  But  what  I  would  now  suggest  to  the 
yoimg  lady  is,  that  she  emulate  her  Avorthy  mother. '  I  take 
it  you  are  a  member  of  the  chui-ch,  madam  ?  "  Cousin  Regina 
complacently  nodded  assent.  "I  would  suggest  that  the 
young  lady  notice  how  her  mother's  religion  helps  her  decide 
in  the  case,  and  come  to  a  like  decision,  according  to  the 
dictates  of  her  good  taste."  But  Ruth  still  wept,  seemingly 
little  comforted  by  this  stentorian  harangue. 

"  This  is  most  unpreeodented,  I  must  declare  ! "  ejaculated 
cousin  Franck,  putting  each  arm  akimbo  in  the  arm-pits  of 
his  silk-velvet  vest.  "  I  would  never  have  believed  that  our 
little  Ruth  could  profit  so  little  by  her  religious  training. 
Why,  child,"  exclaimed  he,  suddenly  pausing  before  her, 
"  are  you  not  aware  that  you  are  breaking  the  very  first 
commandment  with  promise,  'Honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother  ? '  Do  you  not  perceive  that  you  call  in  question  the 
wisdom  of  our  judgment  in  the  case  ?  Havn't  we  a  right  to 
dispose  of  our  own  property  as  we  will  ?  " 
5* 


54  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  Religion  is  certainly  a  very  fine  accomplishment  in  a 
young  lady,  in  my  opinion,"  remarked  the  Doctor,  for  Ruth's 
edification.  ''  It  is  useful  in  rendering  her  mild,  meek  and 
quiescent,  when  the  affiiirs  of  this  life  ai'C  not  precisely  to 
her  mind.  I  shall  certainly  require  religion  in  the  woman  I 
wed.  Why,  its  influence  is  invaluable  in  teaching  a  lady  her 
place  in  the  domestic  cii'cle.  Dancing,  drawing,  embroidery, 
French  and  Italian,  are  certainly  very  desii'able  —  they  go  to 
make  the  lady ;  but,  bless  my  soul  and  body,  religion  is  the 
great  accomphshment,  after  all !  Am  I  not  right.  Madam 
Cameron  ?  "  And  the  Doctor  looked  very  sanctimonious,  as 
if  his  tolerant  views  of  religion  had  come  in  mortal  danger 
of  making  a  pious  man  of  him. 

"  Quite  right,  sii*,"  responded  cousin  Regina,  faintly  blush- 
ing, as  if  she  feared  that  Ruth  might  be  as  far  as  ever  from 
conviction ;  "  quite  right,  sir.  It  has  ever  been  my  aim  to 
inculcate  the  principles  of  the  Bible  in  educating  my  daugh- 
ters. Ruth  knows  very  well,  tliat  I  have  taught  her  that  it 
is  excessively  unladylike  not  to  reverence  one's  superiors ; 
and  that  it  shows  great  want  of  refinement,  nay,  that  it  is  the 
height  of  vulgarity,  to  cherish  a  sickly  sympathy  for  ser- 
vants, or  to  interfere  in  the  least  in  their  disposal."  Cousin 
Regina  said  this  with  an  air  of  great  dignity,  that  would 
have  frightened  away  every  whit  of  a  benevolence  less  au- 
dacious than  Ruth's.  But  the  dear  girl  lifted  up  her  head 
undauntedly ;  the  sterner  the  storm,  the  stronger  her  lieart. 
She  had  come  to  plead  that  men,  women  and  children  might 


I 
I 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  55 

not  be  sold  as  property.  Her  heart  was  full,  and  out  of  its 
abundance  her  mouth  spoke  : 

"  Let  me  be  earnest  this  once,  I  pray  you,  dear  mother. 
I  beg  you  not  to  sell  any  servants.  I  will  teach  ;  I  shall  de- 
light to  do  it ;  and  we  can  plan  a  thousand  ways  to  econo- 
mize, and  avert  such  a  dreadful  necessity."         *         *         * 

Just  at  this  moment  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brincherhoff  came  in, 
without  ringing,  like  one  of  the  family.  He  at  once  entered 
with  interest  into  the  scene,  and,  after  two  or  three  inquiries, 
appeared  to  understand  just  the  state  of  things.  He  seems 
about  forty  years  of  age,  is  rather  stout-built,  is  something 
of  a  student,  and,  it  may  be,  is  a  faint  specimen  of  a  Jesuit. 
He  looked  at  our  little  Ruth  with  ponderous  gravity  —  with 
one  of  those  mill-stone  looks  which  dignitaries  sometimes  put 
on,  the  better  to  sink  lesser  people  into  confusion. 

"  Young  lady,"  slowly  and  solemnly  spoke  the  oracular 
divine,  after  an  awful  pause,  "  you  must  learn  the  teachings 
of  the  church  on  this  subject.  There  is  a  sanctity  in  the 
fundamental  institutions  of  our  civil  government  and  religion. 
Holy  and  sublime  associations  cluster  about  them,  and  in 
this  dim  state  of  imperfection  it  is  the  consummation  of  pre- 
sumption for  the  unhallowed  to  interfere  in  the  spiritual 
arrangement  of  affairs,  which,  however  confessedly  disturbed 
to  our  vision,  present  to  the  eye  of  God  only  harmony." 
Rosalie  whispered  me,  loud  enough  for  the  reverend  man  to 
hear,  "  Isn't  he  eloquent  ?  " 

"  I  take  it,  sir,"  said  cousin  Franck,  industriously  whittling 
a  stick,   "you  consider  it  belongs  to  the  high  and  sacred 


56  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

offices  of  religion,  to  adjust  the  affairs  of  the  social  fab- 
ric?" 

"  Exactly,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Brincherhoff. 

"Ah,  yes,  indeed,"  added  Madam  Regina,  "we  should 
make  but  poor  progress  without  that  regulator,  religion." 

"  There  is  one  thing  in  relation  to  the  servants  I  am  buy- 
ing of  you,  madam,  I  had  like  to  have  forgotten,"  suddenly 
interposed  the  Doctor,  in  his  thundering  way. 

"  Ah,  and  what  may  it  be  ?  "  blandly  asked  the  lady. 

"  I  wish  to  inquire,  madam,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  if  these 
servants  enumerated  on  the  bill  are  of  the  pious  kind.  It 
occurs  to  me,  that  it  may  be  somewhat  to  my  advantage  to 
have  a  tender  conscience,  an  indispensable  requisite  in  ser- 
vants, that  they  may  not  desert  me.  You  see,  madam,  if  I 
may  be  allowed  the  figure,  I  want  them  salted  with  religion 
enough  to  keep  ;  "  and  the  Doctor  laughed  heartily  at  his  witti- 
cism, in  which  laugh  the  clergyman  and  cousin  Franck  joined. 

"  You  ask  if  they  are  religious,"  said  cousin  Regina,  re- 
suming her  gravity ;  "  as  a  lot,  I  may  say  they  are  measurably 
so ;  more  so,  doubtless,  than  the  fair  average  of  salable  peo- 
ple in  Virginia.  The  owners  of  people  prefer  to  retain  the 
religious,  and  sell  those  less  trusty.  As  I  told  you,  while 
negotiating  the  bargain,  I  part  with  Selma,  as  with  most  of 
them,  at  great  self-sacrifice.  She  has  more  genuine  religion  in 
her  heart  than  any  servant  I  ever  knew.  She  has  religion 
enough  for  the  whole  gang ;  by  this  I  mean  that  her  religion 
will  injiuence  them  all,  and  effectually  prevent  the  fatal  result 
you  fear.  Indeed,  sir,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  do  right  to  part  with 


cousix    fraxck's    household.  57 

this  inestimable  servant ;  I  am  a  little  confused  this  morning 
in  regard  to  duty.  I  partially  promised  my  Ruth,  here,  that 
I  would  waive  selling  at  present,  but  on  reviewing  the  sub- 
ject, I  find  myself  compelled  to  yield  to  an  imperative 
necessity ;  and  as  I  wish  to  part  with  as  few  as  possible,  and 
you  offer  twelve  hundred  dollars  extra  for  Selma,  I  have 
consented  to  have  her  included  in  the  lot.  But  my  daugh- 
ters will  never  forgive  me,  I  fear,  for  parting  with  the  best 
of  cooks,  housekeepers  and  nurses." 

"Ah,  how's  this?"  said  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brincherhoff,  taking 
a  seat  beside  Rosalie,  and  condescending  from  the  throne  of 
his  dignity,  "  are  you  a  little  fanatic,  too,  in  your  views  of 
selling  servants  ?  " 

"O,  no,  indeed,  not  I,"  replied  she,  laughing;  mamma 
might  sell  them  all,  and  I'd  not  care,  if  it  would  not  make  it 
so  inconvenient.  Selma  is  our  main  stay,  and  without  her  I 
make  sure  everything  will  go  to  wreck  and  ruin.  But  see, 
sir,  I've  got  your  slippers  nearly  done,"  she  added,  displaying 
her  embroidery. 

"  Ah,  indeed !  you  are  a  very  Dorcas,"  said  the  Rector. 
Ruth,  as  yet,  would  not  be  comforted,  and  cousin  Franck, 
evidently  desirous  of  diverting  her,  turned  to  Mr.  Brincher- 
hoff: "If  you  please,  my  good  sir,  indoctrinate  this  young 
lady  into  the  truth.  I  assure  you,  we  have  a  task  like 
Sisyphus.  As  soon  as  you  are  gone,  she  will  be  telling  me 
that  it  is  wrong  to  hold  and  sell  servants,  and  quote  old  Dr. 
Fuller's  remai'k,  that  '  a  negi'O  is  the  image  of  God  cut  in 
ebony;'  or,  likely  enough,  remind  me  of  Horace  Snoith's 


k 


58  COUSIN     franck's     HOUSEIIOI-D. 

declaration,  tliat  '  the  task-master  is  the  image  of  the  devil 
cut  in  ivory.'  Our  Ruth  will  be  cogitating  and  running 
wild  on  these  things,  and  a  few  '  well-chosen  words '  from 
yourself,  may  restore  the  equilibrium  of  her  excited  imagina- 
tion." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  sir,"  replied  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brincherhoff, 
with  a  peculiar  smile,  "  I  am  glad  that  you  remember  the 
apples  of  gold  and  pictures  of  silver.  I  will  briefly  say  to 
the  young  lady,  Ruth,  in  the  words  of  a  Christian  brother, 
that,  'after  sacrilege,  there  is  nothing  more  profane,  than 
with  rash  and  unbidden  hands  to  meddle  with  the  funda- 
mental institutions  of  civil  government  and  religion.' " 

"  I  pray  you,  sir,"  Ruth  at  length  found  voice  to  say,  "  if 
you  were  convinced  that  slavexy  was  sin,  what  course  would 
you  take  ?  " 

The  Rector  frowned  darkly,  raked  his  fingers  through  the 
black,  sedge-like  thatching  of  his  head,  and  exclaimed, 

"  Bless  me,  child,  what  an  idea !  What  should  I  do  ?  It 
is  most  irrelevant  and  presumptuous  in  you  to  ask,  but  in 
one  word  you  shall  know.  I  would  pursue  that  course  best 
adapted  to  such  an  exigency — the  course  best  calculated  to 
do  good.  The  pulpit  must  not  indulge  personalities,  but 
preach  against  those  'depraved  dispositions'  of  the  heart, 
which  are  the  soil  in  which  sin  takes  root  and  springs  up  like 
the  baneful  Upas."  And  with  the  air  of  one  who  has  settled 
aU  controversies,  the  clergyman  arose  to  take  leave. 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    IV. 

THE     '^PURCUASES"  —  OLD     JOSEPH. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  26,  18—. 
Dear  S.  —  The  skeleton  scythe-bearer  has  quite  out- 
stripped me,  I  find,  by  glancing  at  his  progress  and  my 
journalizing.  Merry  Christmas  &  Co.  are  passing  right 
cheerily  to  some,  and  quite  drearily  to  others,  in  our  cozy 
little  village.  Ruth  obtained  a  promise  from  the  Doctor, 
that  there  should  be  no  breaking  up  of  families  until  after 
the  holidays.  Indeed,  Madam  Regina  wished  this  proviso,  it 
being  exceedingly  inconvenient  to  fill  the  oflfices  made  vacant 
by  sale  of  the  slaves,  at  a  season  privileged  in  bringing  its 
own  bustle.  So  the  Doctor's  recent  purchases  had  time  to 
look  about  them  and  take  breath,  before  saying  their  fare- 
wells. These  purchases  were  Selma,  Cleopatra,  Hannibal,  fat 
Pomp,  Rafe,  the  coachman,  Jerry  and  Jo,  let  servants,  whose 
lease  had  just  run  out,  and  six  or  eight  others  from  Willow 
Creek,  cousin  Regina's  adjoining  plantation.  It  is  mournful 
to  see  them  struggling  with  the  dreadful  prospect  of  separa- 
tion. Selraa  suffers  as  only  a  woman  of  exquisite  sensibilities 
can  suffer ;  and  Ruth,  whose  heart,  by  some  mysterious  tie, 


60  COUSIN     FnAXCK's     UOUSEIIOLD, 

throbs  in  unison  with  hers,  —  poor  Ruth  !  Hannibal  moves 
about  his  household  duties  moodily  and  mechanically.  Cleo- 
patra's indignation  glows  intensely. 

"  Dis  sher  is  what  'Patra  gits  for  toilin'  and  traipsin'  all 
her  bressed  life  for  dem  dat's  a  heap  better  able  to  work  dan 
she  be !  I  ony  wish  dey's  in  Africa,  sarvin'  my  people  a 
piece,  an'  see  how  dey'd  like  it ! " 

Fat  Pomp,  who,  if  stationary  in  a  huge  piche,  might  easily 
be  mistaken  for  a  bronze  statue  of  Bacchus,  is  evidently 
troubled.  He  looks  absent  and  dejected,  as  he  sits  in  a 
corner  of  the  big  fire-place  of  the  kitchen,  where  he  resorts, 
when  his  tasks  are  done,  to  avail  himself  of  the  sympathizing 
presence  of  his  brother,  Prince,  who  rejoices  in  the  office  of 
chief  cook.  Pomp  is  naturally  an  easy,  contented  man,  and 
would  seem  never  to  have  been  seriously  troubled  before. 
He  is  just  one  of  those  people,  if  uihite,  who  would  think 
a  world  of  himself — of  his  own  sayings  and  doings. 
How  graciously  would  he  do  the  honors  of  the  landlord  — 
play  the  aflFable  "  mine  liost,"  and  jog  along  the  smootli  high- 
way of  life,  complacently  "  sucking  the  paws  of  his  self- 
importance."  Prince,  on  the  contrary,  is  tall  and  energetic ; 
but  both  are  valuable,  as  they  turn  off  work  w^ith  a  peculiar 
knack. 

"  How  you  reckon  dey'll  work  de  ship  widout  me,  Prince  ?  " 
asked  Pomp,  in  a  sad,  half-tremulous  tone,  as  he  was  helping 
in  the  Christmas  cooking. 

"  Fader's  life  !  dat's  what  I's  studyin'  'pon  !  "  said  Prince. 
"'Pears  like  dey's  makin'  a  great  distake  in  s'lcctin'  you, 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  61 

Pomp.  It'll  use  me  up,  an'  I  s'U  be  of  no  arthly  use.  Ye 
see,  Pomp,  dis  sher  new  strouble  wakes  up  'membrance  ob 
de  pass  strouble,  an'  it  come  roUin'  an'  beatin'  agin  my  heart, 
an'  I  has  sich  a  smotherin'  feelin',  dat  'parentlj  I  s'U  be  o'  no 
arthly  use ;  I  can't  live  long,  no  ways." 

"  O,  Prince,  don't  talk,  don't  talk ! "  said  Pomp,  as  the 
tears  coursed  over  his  cheeks. 

"  Talk,"  replied  Prince,  "  I  makes  sure  I  s'll  go  'stracted, 
ef  I  don't.  It  was  jes'  so  dat  ole  Massa  in  de  vault  tore  our 
poor  mother  an'  de  res'  ob  de  childers  from  us,  and  sole  dem 
off  to  de  trader ;  you  was  ony  a  little  boy,  den,  a  mere  infant 
baby,  ob  tree  years  ole.  You  don't  'member  it,  as  I  do ;  I 
was  amose  gi-own,  but  dis  sher  new  strouble  tears  open  de  ole 
sore  of  my  heart,  an'  I  can't  stan'  it  long,  no  ways."  And 
Prince,  dressing  the  chicken  by  the  fire,  sobbed  audibly- 
This  was  too  much  for  dear  Ruth,  who,  having  gone  to  the 
kitchen  to  give  some  directions,  had,  on  hearing  the  colloquy, 
stopped  at  the  door  unobserved ;  in  an  instant  she  was  by 
his  side. 

"  0  Prince,  do  not  cry !  I'll  do  all  I  can  for  you." 

"  Bress  your  heart.  Miss  Ruth !  "  exclaimed  the  cook,  "  ony 
to  think,  now !  But  it'll  be  o'  no  arthly  use :  what  ken  be 
done,  whende  bargain  is  struck,  an'  put  down  on  de  bill  o' 
sale  ?  " 

"0,  I'll  try,"  replied  Ruth;  "I  hope  I  can  do  something 
for  you." 

"  De  Fader  grant  you  may ;  but  I  has  mighty  little  hopes 
ye  ken,"  said  Prince. 
6 


62  COUSIN    franck's    houseuold. 

"  Ye  sec,  Miss  Ruth,"  added  Pomp,  "•  it'll  be  very  oncon- 
venient  workin'  de  ship  widout  me." 

It  was  the  evening  of  the  twenty-fourth — Christmas  Eve 
—  and  all  the  week  we  had  been  decorating  the  church  for 
the  festival.  Rosalie,  Ruth,  several  other  young  ladies  and 
myself,  had  made  festoons  of  leaves  to  our  heart's  content ; 
and  a  variety  of  evergreens,  tastefully  arranged,  made  the 
beautiful  little  chapel  look  charmingly.  The  exercises  would 
not  commence  until  seven  o'clock,  and  meanwhile  I  had  time 
sufficient  to  run  in  to  a  slave  prayer-meeting,  incog.,  of  course, 
disguised  in  a  black  hood  and  old  cloak. 

Twilight  was  deepening  with  shadows,  as  I  seated  myself 
in  a  dark  corner  of  Rafe's  cabin.  The  coachman  sat  on  a 
log  that  projected  from  the  fire-place,  with  his  face  buried  in 
his  hands,  now  and  then  groaning  as  if  some  mortal  agony 
possessed  him.  His  wife,  Martha,  a  spruce,  hvely  little 
woman,  sat  near  him  in  a  low  chair,  holding  her  frolicksome 
baby,  looking  at  her  stricken  husband,  and  wiping  the  tears 
from  her  beautiful,  bright  eyes.  Only  three  or  four  had  as 
yet  dropped  in ;  there  was  scarcely  a  whisper  to  be  heard  in 
the  little  group ;  all  seemed  subdued  to  silence  by  a  sense  of 
the  great  sorrow  that  swept  so  darkly  over  poor  Rafe. 

An  old  man  now  came  in,  "  leaning  on  the  top  of  his  staff," 
the  beau  ideal  of  a  patriarch,  at  once  humble,  dignified  and 
venerable.  Martha  arose,  and  led  him  to  the  best  seat  the 
cabin  afforded,  her  home-made  easy-chair,  saying, 

«  Sit  here,  father." 
I  perceived  that  he  was  blind,  and  knew  at  once  that  he 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  G3 

was  old  Joseph,  whose  praise  was  in  everyboily's  mouth. 
He  belonged  to  one  of  our  near  neighbors,  a  very  kind  and 
humane  man,  who,  now  that  Joseph  had  become  old,  and 
blind,  and  worn  out  in  his  service,  being  labelled  "old 
and  useless  "  in  the  inventory,  did  not  leave  him  to  die  un- 
cared  for,  but  comfortably  fed  and  clothed  him,  ivithout  the 
least  expectation  of  reward.  Indeed,  a  favorite  old  race- 
horse could  not  have  been  more  set  by  in  his  master's  house- 
hold than  was  Joseph,  In  the  village  he  was  known  as  the 
old  patriarch.  After  the  blind  m^n  had  groped  his  way  in, 
the  cabin  was  soon  filled.  He  seemed  to  know  that  Rafe 
was  sobbing,  moved  his  chair  beside  him,  and,  putting  his 
hand  on  his  head,  said, 

"  My  boy,  don't,  now,  don't  take  on  so.  'Member  dere  is 
no  strouble  dat  de  Fader  can't  cure.  If  we  has  nothin'  but 
'flictions  in  dis  sher  life,  let's  see  to  it  dat  we  lays  up  streasure 
in  heaven." 

"  Dat  I  will ! "  sobbed  the  broken-hearted  coachman,  "  but 
how  ken  I  go  way,  an'  neber  see  Martha  an'  little  Charley  ?  " 

There  was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  in  the  room ;  grief  gushed 
spontaneously  from  every  soul.  My  own  heart  ached  to 
bursting,  as  if  the  wrongs  of  a  race  were  crushing  it.  There 
was  an  interval  of  weeping,  and  at  length  blind  Joseph, 
summoning  his  remaining  strength,  slowly  arose  and  said, 

"  Childern,  de  '  house  of  my  pilgrimage '  is  de  house  of 
bondage,  yet  I  do  praise  de  Lord.  De  Fader  doeth  all  tings 
well ;  he  oberrules  all  tings  for  de  best.  It  'pears  like  ony  a 
few  years  full  o'  strouble,  since  I  was  a  little  child,  in  my 


64  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

country,  playin'  under  de  palms.  One  day,  very  suddin,  de 
stranger  come  an'  steal  great  comp'ny  of  my  people.  Dey 
tore  me  from  my  ole  fader  and  moder ;  I  neber  see  dem 
more.  Dat  was  my  first  grief;  since  den  my  life  done  been 
full  of  giicf,  an'  full  of  mercy,  too.  De  trader  did  not  mean 
it  for  good ;  no  more  did  de  bredren  of  Joseph,  dey  reads  of 
in  de  good  book ;  dey  didn't  mean  it,  but  God  done  oberrule 
it  for  good.  Childern,  I  done  hear  of  de  worl'  beyon'  de 
grave ;  I  done  hear  of  de  blessed  Jesus.  I'se  no  house,  no 
land ;  I'se  bery  poor ;  I'se  nottin'  in  de  worl'  dat  I  ken  call 
mine ;  but  Massa  Jesus  bery  rich ;  he  own  ebryting,  an'  he 
done  promise  dat  all  his  people  shall  live  wid  him  in  de 
heavenly  mansions.  In  a  little  while  I  shall  go  an'  dwell 
wid  him.  Den  my  joy  '11  be  like  de  riber ;  I  shall  share 
de  riches  of  heaven,  if  de  Lord  be  my  portion,  at  de  end  of 
my  journey. 

"  Dere  is  some  on  you  like  me,  when  I  was  grievin'  for 
dat  I  couldn't  help.  I  mourns  wid  you;  your  grief  is 
my  grief;  but  while  I  mourn,  I  cry  to  de  Fader,  Oberrule, 
oberrule  for  good !  Ebryting  look  bery  dark  in  dis  worl', 
but  it'll  be  bery  bright  at  de  judgment  of  de  great  day. 
Dere  all  will  be  made  plain  ;  de  crooked  will  be  made  straight; 
ebery  dark  ting  will  be  made  light ;  dere  we'll  know  why  we 
have  so  many  stroubles  here. 

"  Childern,  I  can't  comfort  ye  no  ways,  ef  I  don't  lead  ye 
to  de  Man  of  sorrors,  who  was  'quainted  wid  grief.  His 
heart  throb  for  his  suffrin'  little  ones,  an'  we  can  go  to  him 
like  de  little  child,  an'  tell  him  all  our  sorrors.     Ef  we  done 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  65 

have  no  kind  Saviour  to  go  to,  den  indeed  what  sorror  woukl 
be  like  our  sorror  ?  But  he  stan's  wid  outstretched  arms, 
sajin',  '  Poor  slave,  come  to  me !  Come  to  me,  poor  slave  ! 
I  died  for  sinners  like  you  !  Come  to  me,  weary  and  heaby 
laden,  take  my  yoke  an'  learn  of  me,  an'  ye  shall  fine  res'  to 
your  souls.'" 

And  tlie  blind  old  man  then  poured  in  prayer  his  full  soul 
of  burdened  thoughts  into  the  listening  ear  of  the  compas- 
sionate Saviour.  He  seemed  to  approach  very  near  to  him ; 
it  was  as  if  he  had  Mary's  place  at  his  feet ;  as  if  in  earnest 
pleading  he  had  caught  hold  of  his  robe  as  he  Avas  passing, 
and  detained  him ;  and  his  glorious  presence,  so  near  to  the 
humble,  contrite,  fervent  petitioner,  made  the  place  of  prayer 
a  hallowed  sanctuaiy.  It  was  good  to  be  there.  I  almost 
felt  as  if  I  had  never  heard  prayer  before,  as  the  child-hke, 
trustful  words  of  love,  adoration  and  entreaty,  overflowing 
from  the  heart,  burst  from  the  old  man's  lips.  Evidently  he 
was  no  ordinary  child  of  God ;  he  was  endeared  to  his  Sa- 
viour by  his  patient  following  in  his  steps,  by  his  meek  en- 
durance in  his  baptism  of  suffering.  Evidently  he  was  one 
of  the  innumerable  multitude  coming  up  out  of  great  tribu- 
lation, who  at  last  triumph  so  gloriously.  And  he  a  slave  ! 
A  member  of  the  body  of  Christ  enchained !  By  those,  too, 
professing  his  name ! 

Blind  Joseph  ceased,  and  one  and  another  continued  to 

commune  with  Him  who  '  is  no  respector  of  persons.'     I  said 

in  my  heart,  "  Happy  people !   happy  in  your  nearness  to 

the  '  High  and  lofty  One,  who  dwelleth  with  the  contrite  and 

6* 


66  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  re- 
vive the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones.'  "  The  hour  in  the  cabin 
had  sped  like  a  moment,  and  as  I  hastened  back  to  the  house, 
it  was  with  the  prayer  that  I  might  never  be  left  to  enslave 
my  Saviour,  in  the  person  of  "  one  of  the  least  of  his  breth- 
ren." 

I  was  just  in  time,  and,  hastily  laying  aside  my  disguise, 
proceeded  with  cousin  Franck's  family  to  the  church,  which 
was  already  brilliantly  illuminated  for  the  celebration  of 
Christmas  Eve. 

Groups  of  well-dressed  people  were  on  the  way  to  the 
church  —  well-dressed,  not  gaily;  Virginians  think  it  irreve- 
rent to  appear  in  the  house  of  God  in  the  costly  and  attractive 
attire  suited  to  a  soiree,  or  a  place  of  public  amusement. 

The  consecrated  house  was  like  a  vast  arbor.  Innumera- 
ble wax  candles  lit  up  the  fairy  paradise  with  their  silvery 
sheen.  Waves  of  jubilant  music  rolled  and  surged  amid  the 
branches  of  evergreens  and  pines,  that,  with  their  thousand 
needle  fingers,  had  long  swept  so  plaintively  their  harps  of 
air.  But  all  this  Christmas  paraphernalia  startled  me  with 
its  contrast  to  the  dimly-lighted,  meagre  hut  I  had  just  left ; 
and  as  the  exercises  for  the  evening  prayer,  as  detailed  in 
the  prayer-book,  were  performed,  excellent  and  beautiful  as 
those  incomparable  forms  are,  there  was  an  irrepressible  out- 
going of  my  heart  for  the  petitions  in  that  soul-moving  slave 
prayer-meeting.  As  the  congregation  reverently  responded 
"  with  one  voice,"  like  God's  people  beyond  the  hoary  ages, 
before  the  holy  mount,  saying,  "  AU  that  the  Lord  hath  said 


y^'^ 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  67 

will  we  do,  and  be  obedient,"  I  heard  as  if  I  heard  not ;  an- 
other voice  was  sounding  in  my  ears,  like  the  pleading  of  the 
souls  under  the  altar,  saying,  "  How  long,  0  Lord,  how  long ! " 
It  was  the  prayer  of  the  crushed  slaves,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
to  outstrip  the  stereotyped  formalities  of  the  proud  worship- 
pers, and  to  enter  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth. 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    V. 

CHRISTMAS     BREAKFAST     AND     DINNER THE     SOIREE. 

Port  Royal,  Ya.,  Dec.  26,  18—. 

Dear  S.  —  Alas,  for  our  Christmas  breakfast! — The 
merry  greetings  had  just  finished  their  rounds,  and  Hannibal 
passed  Cousin  Franck's  cup,  when  the  latter  exclaimed,  with 
the  first  sip  of  what  was  meant  for  coffee,  "  What  under  the 
canopy  is  this  ?     Herb  tea,  and  muddy  at  that ! " 

"  Surely !  "  echoed  Madam  Regina  ;'•  "  Hannibal,  send  for 
IMartha,  directly."  The  little  woman  soon  made  her  appear- 
ance with  a  troubled  air,  and  with  a  musical,  low  voice,  asked, 
"  "What  mistress  please  want  ?  " 

"  Want ! "  replied  cousin  Regina,  severely  regarding  the 
trembling  servant,  "  I  want  you  to  attend  to  your  business. 
A  pretty  fuss  we  are  in  this  Christmas  morning ;  no  coffee  !  " 

"  No  coffee.  Missis !  I  done  made  de  coffee ! "  said 
Martha. 

"  Ridiculous !  You  quit  calling  this  smoky,  muddy  slop, 
coffee ;  it  isn't  fit  for  the  pigs.  I'll  teach  you  better  than  to 
Bend  such  stuff  to  the  table,  I  will,  indeed ! "  exclaimed 
Madam  Regina,  the  thermometer  of  her  feelings  rapidly 
rising.     "  You  poured  the  water  in  ice-cold,  I'll  lay  you  did," 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  69 

continued  the  lady,  with  her  keen,  reproachful  eyes  still  fixed 
on  Martha. 

"  Indeed,  indeed,  Missis,  I  made  sure  de  kittle  biled." 

"  "Way  with  you  !  take  the  mud  slop  and  pour  it  into  the 
yard ;  don't  let  any  living  thing  taste  it.  And  mind,  you 
quit  taking  on  about  Rafe.  I  told  you  expressly,  when  you 
were  married,  you  could  not  expect  to  live  together  long.  Since 
then  it's  two  long  years,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  and  yet 
you  have  the  ingratitude  and  insolence  to  repine.  Remember 
you  let  me  see  no  more  of  tliis  nonsense  ! "  And  Hannibal, 
with  a  pitiful  look,  passed  the  doomed  coffee  to  Martha,  who, 
with  sobs  smothered  in  her  heart,  but  with  streaming  eyes, 
left  the  apartment. 

"  The  biscuit  is  no  better,"  said  cousin  Franck. 

"  Upon  my  word,  no  better,"  echoed  his  wife,  cutting  one, 
and  conveying  a  bit  to  her  mouth  with  her  silver  fork, 
"  heavy  and  sour,  as  I  live  !  Is  Prince,  too,  snivelling  over 
the  sale  ? " 

"  I  guess  most  likely,"  carelessly  replied  cousin  Franck. 

"  I  make  sure  nobody  ever  had  such  trials  of  servants," 
said  Rosalie,  poutingly  pushing  her  plate  from  her,  and  lean- 
ing back  in  her  chair. 

"  The  poor  creatures  I "  said  Ruth ;  "  I  wonder  how  much 
better  we  should  behave,  if  we  were  in  their  case ! " 

"  I  do  hope,"  said  Madam  Regina,  addressing  Ruth,  as 
she  was  turning  the  tea  just  brought  in  by  Hannibal,  "you 
will  shortly  dispense  with  your  siUy,  childish  notions  about 
servants.     I  am  getting  quite  out  of  patience  with  them,  I 


70  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

am,  indeed.  Servants  have  an  appropriate  sphere  to  fill,  and 
it  is  for  their  interest  and  happiness  to  fill  it  acceptably  to 
their  owners.  And,  daughter,  you,  too,  have  a  sphere  to  fill, 
as  the  mistress  of  servants ;  and  I  must  say  that  your  present 
course  in  regard  to  them  gives  me  great  uneasiness.  If  you 
should  be  as  indulgent  as  you  now  promise  to  be,  you  would 
not  only  ruin  them  all  for  service,  but  you  would  make  your- 
self the  greatest  slave  among  them." 

"Yes,  indeed,  daughter  Ruth,"  added  cousin  Franck, 
making  the  best  of  some  very  dubious  corn-cakes,  "  I  think 
I  can  see  the  whole  plantation  stock  running  over  you,  like 
sheep  over  a  wall." 

The  dinner  fared  not  much  better  than  the  breakfast. 
Hannibal  had  forgotten  numberless  things  in  making  ready 
the  table ;  and  after  we  were  seated  he  was  several  times 
despatched  from  his  waiting,  to  get  napkins,  spoons  and 
castor,  which  was  the  more  mortifying,  as  his  new  proprietor, 
the  Doctor,  dined  with  us.  Three  other  gentlemen,  happen- 
ing in  Port  Eoyal  for  the  holidays,  were  also  among  the 
guests :  Mr.  Ames,  a  tutor  in  some  family  within  fifty  miles, 
Col.  Cutts,  an  overseer  who  presumed  on  cousin  Franck's 
hospitality,  and  even  put  himself  on  the  level  of  relationship, 
from  his  being  formerly  from  the  North,  and  Mr.  Taliaferro, 
or  Toliver,  as  the  name  is  pronounced  —  an  elderly,  affable 
Virginia  gentleman. 

The  roast  beef  was  barely  passable.  As  for  the  turkey, 
had  it  been  living,  it  would  have  gobbled  merrily,  at  the  com- 
fortable warming  with  which  Prince  had  seen  fit  to  favor  it. 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  71 

The  omelet  was  browned  to  a  bitter  black ;  and  the  chickens 
fricasseed  to  a  crisp;  in  short,  overdone  and  underdone  ex- 
pressed the  dinner,  and  had  there  been  a  general  conspiracy 
among  the  eatables  to  be  as  disagreeable  as  possible,  they 
could  hardly  have  made  the  entertainment  worse.  Cousins 
Franck  and  Kegina,  however,  were  evidently  annoyed  as 
much  by  the  presence  of  Col.  Cutts,  as  by  the  failure 
of  a  dinner.  This  worthy  was  a  square-built,  stout  man, 
with  a  head  devoid  of  all  phrenological  pretensions  to  reve- 
rence and  benevolence,  perched  plump  on  a  pair  of  broad 
and  pitched-up  shoulders.  His  hair  was  black,  coarse  and 
wiry;  his  small,  gray  eyes  were  given  to  certain  restless 
jerkings  in  their  sockets,  as  if  on  the  alert  for  the  main 
chance ;  while  his  hook  of  a  nose  said  as  plainly  as  nose 
could  say,  "  Money,  money,  by  hook  or  by  crook." 

Caleb  Cutts  was  originally  a  Down-East  Yankee.  He 
started  in  life  with  an  old-fashioned,  common-school  educa- 
tion, which,  in  young  men  of  his  stamp,  included  a  smattering 
of  reading,  writing,  the  first  four  rules  of  Daboll's  Arithmetic, 
and  a  profound  knowledge  of  swapping  knives  and  other 
nicknacks.  Geography  and  grammar  were  among  the  ab- 
struse sciences,  which  he  religiously  avoided.  Caleb's  father 
used  to  say,  that  "  the  beatenist  way  to  larn  jography  was  to 
travil ; "  and  accordingly,  when  his  hopeful  son,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  had  given  undeniable  indications  of  genius  by  out- 
jockeying  his  schoolmates,  he  set  him  adrift  on  the  world, 
peddling  with  a  tin  trunk,  stocked,  as  Caleb  expressed  it, 
with  "  needles  and  thread,  and  sich  groceries,"  to  the  amount 


72  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

of  five  dollars.  Tlie  young  hero  soon  learned  so  much  of 
geography  as  to  know  what  routes  paid  best,  and  at  what 
houses  there  was  the  most  available  gullibility.  In  process 
of  time  he  became  the  proprietor  of  two  well-filled  trunks, 
the  contents  of  which,  when  disposed  of,  made  him  think  of 
aspiring  to  the  elevated  station  of  master  of  a  tin  pedler's 
cart.  After  two  or  three  years'  successful  driving  in  New- 
England,  he  invested  a  portion  of  his  savings  in  Connecticut 
clocks,  and,  crossing  Mason's  and  Dixon's  line,  began  to 
practise  on  the  Southern  form  of  unsophisticated  simplicity. 
It  has  been  more  than  liinted  that  he  took  with  him  certain 
nice  little  seed  parcels,  duly  labelled,  "  Very  best  cucumber 
seed,  EXTRA,  Spoonville,  Ct.,"  manufactured  of  goodly  pine. 
It  has  also  been  strongly  suggested  that  Caleb  was  the  veri- 
table Yankee  that  first  introduced  the  famous  wooden  hams 
to  the  Southern  market ;  so  goes  the  Virginia  joke,  but  it  is 
difficult  to  ascertain  the  precise  fact,  as  the  Colonel,  when 
interrogated,  puts  a  broad  grin  on  his  face,  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  and  his  creaking  boots  in  rapid  motion.  When 
pressed  by  Mr.  Taliaferro,  at  cousin  Franck's,  with 

"  Come,  confess,  now,  are  you  not  the  very  Yankee  that 
served  us  such  tricks?"  he  replied,  as  if  highly  compli- 
mented, 

"Now  don't,  Mr.,  don't  make  a  feller  go  to  bniL^gin' of 
what  he's  done  in  liis  day ;  'twonldn't  be  perlite,  ri^^lit  here 
afore  all  these  ere  ladies ! "  and  he  looked  around  upcm  us 
with  a  complacent,  comical  drollery,  certainly  highly  medi- 
cinal to  the  blues. 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  73 

"I  pray  you,  sir,  keep  to  the  point,"  said  the  elderly  gen- 
tleman, laughing ;  "  I  shall  not  let  you  off  in  that  direction. 
Tell  us,  now,  are  you  not  the  very  man  guilty  of  these  fraud- 
ulent practices?  I  reckon,  Colonel,,  you  are  a  case  —  a  case 
for  an  indictment." 

"  "Wal,  Mr.,"  replied  the  Colonel,  parrying  the  laugh  from 
himself,  "  I  guess  if  we  do  make  them  are  wooden  groceries, 
we  know  where  to  look  for  customers,  I  guess." 

During  dinner  he  was  very  loquacious.  lie  was  evidently 
much  elated  with  his  success  as  overseer,  which  post  he  has 
filled  for  the  last  fcAV  years.  He  wore  a  drab  surtout,  quite 
large  and  weather-defying,  and  the  remainder  of  his  dress 
was  in  keeping  with  his  rough,  heavy  boots,  capacitated  to 
wade  creeks  and  rivei-s,  without  the  detriment  of  a  drop  of 
water  to  the  wearer.  His  cowhide,  symbol  of  his  honorable 
office,  was  ever  at  hand,  ever  in  hand,  more  correctly ;  he 
did  not  even  part  with  it  at  table ;  it  was  reverently  laid  on 
his  crumb-cloth  handkercliief. 

"  Wal,  'Squire  Crameron,  this  ere  is  a  leetle  mite  better 
livin'  than  some  folks  is  sure  on  at  the  North  —  no  reflec- 
tions," said  Col.  Cutts,  as  he  was  miraculously  disposing  of 
roast  beef  and  turkey.  "It's  putty  gin'raUy  granted  us  Yan- 
kees go  ahead  of  all  the  rest  of  creation  in  the  peddlin' 
business,  inventions,  an'  all  that  sort  o'  thing,  and  as  to  the 
eatin',  we  can  afford  to  be  outdun  by  them  that  has  servants 
to  git  up  the  fixins.  I  putty  much  consider  myself  a  South- 
ern natire  now,  as  well  as  you,  'Squire ;  you  may  be  awar, 
7 


74  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


I've  an  establisliinent  of  my  own,  at  Rokesby.  I  am  well 
taken  care  of,  you  may  depind." 

"  Do  you  keep  house  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Ames,  the  tutor. 

"  Of  course,  Mr.,  I  keeps  house ;  all  us  overseers  does, 
single  or  double,"  replied  the  Colonel.  "  Ye  see,  I  manages 
the  plantation  for  four  hundred  dollars  and  found  ;  my  house, 
barn,  garden,  cows,  boss,  bins,  turkeys,  and  pigs,  besides  four 
as  good  servants  to  wait  on  and  'tend  me,  as  is  to  be  found,  is 
no  small  help  to  a  poor  man  like  myself.  Ye  see,  Mr.,  I  jest 
lays  by  the  four  hundred  dollars,  and  puts  it  out  to  interest, 
for  the  '  found '  makes  inds  meet.  Then  I  has  butter,  pork, 
eggs,  bins,  and  other  vegetables  to  sell,  besides  I  keeps  a 
small  store  with  whiskey  and  sich  'pothecary  stuff  for  the 
poor  whites,  so  that  it  makes  my  place  pay  handsome  —  putty 
respectable  handsome." 

"  I  am  decidedly  opposed  to  you  Northern  overseers,"  said 
the  Doctor,  with  a  frown ;  "  I  would  not  have  one  of  you  on 
my  plantation,  if  you  would  serve  gratis." 

"  Then  I  guess  you  don't  git  your  work  done,"  replied  Col. 
Cutts,  laying  down  knife  and  fork,  and  looking  up  from  his 
plate. 

"  If  the  principal  thing  be  to  use  up  servants,  at  the 
shortest  possible  notice,  then  I  reckon  we  don't  get  much 
work  done,"  replied  the  Doctor,  as  loudly  as  ever. 

"  AYal,  ye  see,  if  I  gits  a  good  crop,  it  makes  my  gov'ner 
feel  rich,  an'  he  forks  over  tlie  tin  plump  on  pay-day.  So, 
yer  see,  common  benivolence  makes  me  go  for  the  big  crop. 
I'm  a  Yankee,  yer  know,  an'  I  alwuz  has  ter  git  along  by 


COUSIN     FRANCK'S     nOUSEHOLD.  75 

calculatin'  snug.  I  jest  calculates,  in  cool  blood,  as  they  say, 
jest  what  a  nigger  is  wuth,  ua'  how  long  he'll  last  on  the 
hard-drive  plan.  He'll  putty  gin'rally  last  a  half  dozen  year, 
more  or  less,  an'  so  I  puts  'cm  right  over  the  road,  in  a  quiet 
hurry,  you  may  depind." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  echoed  the  Doctor,  "  that's  the  trouble." 

"Niggers  don't  take  much  comfort,  no  way,"  continued 
the  Colonel,  "  and  it  is  about  the  most  marcifullcst  way  to  let 
'em  wear  out.  If  tliey  has  a  lazy  time,  they  gits  to  studyin' 
their  misfortins,  and  they  rust  out  most  'mazin'  doleful. 
You'd  hear  'em  complainin'  over  and  agin,  when  they'd  never 
think  ont  if  they  was  ony  kept  hard  driv.  It's  a  marcy  to 
keep  'em  at  it,  day  in  and  day  out,  and  never  let  'em  stop  to 
count  over  their  troubles,  poor  critters,"  sighed  the  Colonel, 
as  if  he  thought  himself  the  most  considerate  driver  in  the 
land,  and  overmuch  afflicted  with  pitiful  emotions. 

Mr.  Taliaferro,  cousin  Franck  and  the  tutor,  looked  shocked 
at  the  Colonel's  mode  of  distilling  religious  sentiment  out  of 
sheer  barbarism,  and  the  first  gentleman  said, 

"  Indeed,  sir,  my  lands  shall  go  untiUed,  before  I  will  em- 
ploy such  a  heartless  hand  as  yourself  to  drive  my  people." 

"  Sho  !  "  said  the  Colonel ;  "  I  aint  the  least  mite  purticlar 
—  it's  aU  the  same  to  me.  I'm  engaged,  and  couldn't  drive 
yer  people,  if  you  wanted  me  ever  so  plaguily.  But  I  see 
ye  don't  git  the  hang  of  my  sintiraents.  Now  if  you  could 
ony  jest  hear  them  are  dear  critters  pray,  for  instance,  a  few 
times,  as  I  has,  you'd  understand  what  I'm  up  to.  You  jest 
happin  to  one  of  their  meetins,  and  hear  'em  pray  and 


76  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


exhort,  and  talk  over  tlie  comfort  they  'spect  to  take  when 
they  gits  to  lioavoii.  'IVII  yon  wliat  'tis  —  it  inukcs  me  feel 
that  I've  (lone  'em  putty  consiilonxble  sarvico,  in  holpin'  hurry 
'em  on  to  their  journey's  ind,  whieh  they  hanker  arter  aw- 
fully. You  may  dej)ind,  that's  the  ony  giniwine  marcy  in 
dealin'  with  sarvants,  arter  all." 

"Barbarous!"  exelaimed  the  old  Virginian ;  "bless  me! 
I  almost  begin  to  think  it's  a  sin  for  us  to  intrust  the  train- 
ing of  our  servants  to  you  Yankees,  I  do,  indeed.  Bless  me  ! 
what  are  we  coming  to,  friend  Cameron  ?  Here  is  a  man 
that  not  only  wears  out  servants  by  the  wliolesale,  but  who 
glories  in  his  shame.  Do  you  not  know,"  continued  he,  ad- 
dressing the  Colonel,  "  that  you  are  rendering  yourself 
liable  for  delilx'rate  swindling?  What  an  unheard  of  loss 
of  property  is  this ;  the  same  as  sunk,  utterly  sunk." 

Col.  Cutts,  of  course,  defended  himself  by  affirming  that 
there  was  an  equivalent  rendered  for  the  i)roperty  lost  by 
the  increased  crops,  which  question  was  discussed  until  the 
hour  for  the  soiree  at  Gen.  Ringgold's,  to  which  we  were  all 
hivited,  with  the  cxcejjtion  of  the  Colonel.  This  was  all 
the  same  to  him,  however,  and,  availing  himself  of  the  cus- 
tom which  prevails,  of  going  to  parties  in  families,  or  the 
young  and  middle  aged  mingling  together,  atid  considering 
himself  in  the  light  of  one  of  cousin  Franck's  family,  he 
smuggled  himself  in,  duty  free ;  for,  leiii//  an  overseer,  he 
was  a  contraband  article. 

Rosalie  was  struck  aghast  with  genteel  horror,  when  she 
discovcre<l  that  the  knight  of  the  cowhide  was  bent  on  parad- 


COUSIN     I'HANCK's     UOVSEllOLD.  77 


ing  to  the  party;  for  j»aiail<;  Ik;  wouM,  with  provoking  cool- 
ness, wherever  he  went.  Ijike  most  overs(!ers,  he  essayed  to 
upe  his  employer,  and  in  doing  it,  earicatured  the  phmters, 
as  well  as  the  Northerners. 

At  all  events,  he,  was  on  hand  lo  represent  Rokesby  at  the 
soiree. 

"  O,  Ruth,"  exclaimed  Rosali(;,  drawing  on  her  gloves, 
"  what  shall  we  do  ?  That  insufferable,  vulgar  Yankee  over- 
seer will  eseort  us  to  tin;  party.  If"  I  hail  jiot  so  many 
strong  reasons  for  going,  I  would  stop  at  home.  What  is  to 
be  done  ?     I  am  in  a  perfeet  panic." 

"O,"  replied  Ruth,  gently,  "  we  cannot  hel[)  ourselves.  We 
must  remember  that  he  belongs  to  our  system,  and  be  as 
patient  as  possible.  If  we  human  monk(!ys  will  make  a  cat's- 
paw  of  the  Yankee,  I  see  not  as  we  can  entirely  avoid  his 
acquaintance." 

"  I  wish  I  was  a  philosopher,  like  you,  Ruth,"  said  Rosalie, 
musingly.  "  I  make  sure  I  should  have  fewer  crushing 
troubles.  But  what  will  Gen.  Ringgold  think  ?  AVhat  will 
Mrs.  Ringgold  say?  How  the  Sommervilles  will  laugh  at 
us!  There  will  be  no  end  to  our  mortifications.  I  wish 
overseer  Cutts  was  landed  in  Jericho,  indeed  I  do !  "  Poor 
Rosalie's  afflictions  were  in  no  measure  mitigated,  when,  as 
we  walked  over  to  the  General's,  the  Colonel  took  his  station 
by  h(,'r  side,  awkward  and  ungainly  in  his  step,  and  uncouth 
in  dress  and  app(;arance,  swaying  his  cowhide,  field 
fashion. 

Among  the  strangers  present  at  the  soiree,  was  the  good 
7* 


78  COUSIN     FRANCii'S     UOUSEUOLD. 

Senator  T.  He  soon  spied  and  greeted  me,  and  introduced 
his  beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter,  Isabel.  Rosalie 
was  eclipsed  for  the  evening  by  the  fair  young  lady,  who 
seems  as  good  as  she  is  beautiful.  She  is  an  intimate  friend 
of  Ruth,  and  the  two  often  visit  and  correspond.  Ferdinand 
T.,  Isabel's  brother,  was  also  present ;  he  has  much  refine- 
ment of  manner,  and  is  evidently  highly  cultivated.  He  is 
more  intellectual  in  appearance  than,  beautiful,  and  as  a 
proof  of  his  discrimination  and  good  sense,  I  must  tell  you 
that  he  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  our  good  little  Ruth.  The 
attachment  is  mutual,  and  only  two  obstacles  appear  in  the 
way  of  tlieir  union.  The  first  is,  the  difficulty  the  young 
gentleman  will  find  in  persuading  the  young  lady  to  become 
the  mistress  of  slaves ;  and  the  other,  the  difficulty  she  may 
find  in  influencing  him  to  give  up  property  in  persons,  and 
remove  to  a  free  country. 

The  reception  rooms  at  the  General's  were  very  attractive. 
An  indesci-ibable  air  of  refinement  pervaded  the  tasteful  dis- 
posing of  rare  paintings,  family  portraits,  choice  plants  and 
elegant  furniture.  The  General  and  his  lady  had  that  acme 
of  good  breeding  —  the  tact  of  making  their  company  feel  at 
ease;  which,  by  the  way,  is  characteristic  of  the  Port  Royal 
Virginians,  the  most  agreeable  and  delightful  people  in  the 
world.  They  do  not  take  you  by  storm,  they  subdue  you  by 
their  delicate  and  easy  attentions.  Your  wishes  are  studied 
and  anticipated,  and  though  a  stranger,  you  are  made  to  feel 
perfectly  at  home.  Among  themselves,  so  far  as  my  limited 
observation  extends,  they  seem  to  have  no  animosities ;  at 


COUSIN     FKANCK'a     HOUSEUOLD.  79 

least,  none  discoverable.  You  heax*  each  speak  well  of  his 
neighbor,  and  there  is  no  detraction  until  they  descend  the 
scale  to  tlie  poor  laborer  in  society's  hive  —  the  negroes;  of 
them  tlie  widy  have  funny  anecdotes  to  relate,  illustrative 
of  their  stupidity,  laziness,  and  pilfering  propensities. 

As  you  may  suppose.  Col.  Cutts  attracted  much  attention 
at  Gen.  Ringgold's.  In  his  overseer  regimentals,  he  was  the 
most  conspicuous  personage  present.  His  outlandish,  weather- 
proof surtout  was  absohilcly  Iiorrifying  to  all  delicate  nerves  ; 
but  it  was  all  the  same  to  the  Colonel,  who  ever  and  anon 
stalked  complacently  across  the  room  with  plantation  ease, 
the  heavy  tread  of  his  creaking  boots  being  scarce  muffled 
by  the  costly  carpet.  He  evidently  set  a  high  value  on  his 
imposing  appearance,  and  independent  bearing,  and  con- 
sidered himself  a  rare  chance  for  the  most  aristocratic  lady 
in  the  land. 

"  Upon  my  word !  did  you  ever  ? "  exclaimed  a  pretty 
blue-eyed  Miss,  somebody's  visitor,  "did  you  ever  see  the 
like  ?  "  queried  she  of  the  little  group  of  Misses  around  her. 

"  Most  outrageous,  I  must  say ! "  replied  another  young 
lady,  the  owner  of  the  briglit(!st  of  black  eyes.  "  Say,  Rosa- 
lie, who  is  he  ?  lie  came  in  your  train,"  added  she,  a  little 
mischievously. 

"  Do  not  ask  me  questions  I  cannot  answer,"  pettishly  re- 
plied Rosalie  ;  "  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  him  from  Adam  !  " 

"  I  make  sure  he  is  one  of  the  poor  whites,"  disdainfully 
said  a  cherry-cheeked  heiress,  with  the  slightest  perceptible 
shrug  of  the  shoulders. 


80  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"Why,  Puss  Sommerville,"  exclaimed  the  blue-eyed, 
"  what  a  young  gosling  you  are !  Don't  you  know  from  his 
dress,  that  he  is  an  overseer  ?  " 

"  Surely,  Victorine,  I  know  very  well,  but  I  did  not  think. 
I've  seen  papa's  overseer,  often  and  often,  dressed  in  a  drab 
pea-jacket." 

"  They  are  a  distressingly  looking  set,"  said  the  black 
eyed,  "  it  puts  me  quite  out  of  sorts  to  see  one.  J£  I  was 
given  to  fainting,  I  should  become  insensible  the  moment  one 
came  in  sight.  As  it  is,  girls,  you  see  I  think  it  safe  to  be 
able  to  defend  myself ; "  and  the  merry  girl  passed  round 
her  elegant  smelling-bottle. 

"Ah,"  sighed  an  affettuoso  fop,  a, petit-maitre,  a  compound 
of  cologne  and  broadcloth,  who  languished  near  the  group, 
"  it  would  seem  that  the  dregs  of  society  are  rising  to  the 
surface." 

"  And  discommoding  the  scum,  hey  ? "  outspoke  a  Blue- 
Ridge  Virginian,  who,  arm  in  arm  with  the  Doctor,  chanced 
to  overhear  the  remark. 

"  Murray  Mackintosh,"  gaily  said  Gen.  Ringgold,  coming 
up  at  the  instant,  in  company  with  Senator  T.,  "  I  trust  you 
left  your  wicked  wit  at  home,  among  the  mountains ;  we 
eastern  Virginians  are  getting  sensitive,  and  cannot  relish 
your  hard  jokes,  as  of  old." 

"I  am  in  earnest,  uncle,"  replied  the  handsome  Mr. 
Mackintosh,  "  and  there  is  nothing  sharper  than  truth's  keen 
shears." 

"Of  course,"  replied  the  General,  pleasantly,  "and  we 


COUSIN    fkanck's    household.  81 

mean  to  humor  your  eccentric  fancies  ;  you  must  be  indulged, 
certainly,  as  you  visit  us  only  once  in  an  age." 

"  Thank  you,  uncle ;  you'll  have  need  of  some  patience, 
for  I  am  as  plain  spoken  as  ever,"  replied  the  Blue-Ridge 
man  ;  "I  must  call  things  by  their  right  names.  But  all  I 
contend  for  is,  that  Virginians  open  their  eyes  and  see 
where  they  are,  and  how  they  came  there.  The  fact  is,  sir, 
our  domestic  institution  is  a  moral  cancer  feeding  on  our 
vitals,  literally  consuming  us." 

"  Something  of  an  evil,  we  all  admit,"  rejoined  the  Gene- 
ral, a  little  piqued,  "  but  far  enough  from  being  as  hurtful  as 
you  imagine." 

"  "Why,  just  look  at  it,  uncle,"  said  Mr.  Mackintosh,  "  Vir- 
ginia has  been  settled  more  than  two  hundred  years  —  settled, 
too,  by  as  noble  a  race  of  men  as  ever  planted  a  colony,  and 
what  can  she  show  of  progress  in  education,  literature,  and 
the  arts  of  life  ?  All  the  world  knows  her  younger  sister 
States  are  far  out-distancing  her  in  these  things.  They,  like 
smart  buxom  Misses,  busy  themselves  about  the  nation's 
housework,  beautifying,  strengthening  and  honoring  the  con- 
federacy by  their  noble  industry  ;  while  Virginia,  that  might 
have  led  them  on  as  a  model  matron,  plays  the  part  of  the 
whimsical  old  maid,  whose  business  has  been  for  years  and 
years  to  sit  in  the  corner  and  pet  the  tooth-ache ;  and  who, 
with  hopes  blasted  and  health  ruined,  works  herself  into 
hysterics  whenever  her  sympathizing  friends  suggest  the  ex- 
traction of  the  cause  of  so  much  suffering." 

*'  Bless  me !  is  the  boy  wild  ? "  asked  Senator  T.,  wonder- 


82  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

ingly  looking  at  General  Ringgold.  "  Well,  well,  Mackin- 
tosh, boy,  (said  boy  might  be  thirty,)  go  on,  I  like  at  any 
rate,  to  see  a  man  in  earnest." 

*'  Allow  me  to  ask  you,  sir,"  said  ]Mr.  Mackintosh,  "  if  the 
Old  Dominion,  as  we  would  still  proudly  call  her  in  memory 
of  the  past,  has  not  deteriorated  within  your  remembrance  ?  " 

"  You  do  well  to  ask  an  old  man  such  a  question,"  replied 
the  Senator,  smilingly.  "  I  reply,  yes  ;  as  an  old  man,  I  can 
scarcely  say  less ;  the  days  of  our  youth  seem  to  us  the 
brightest  of  our  existence.  It  is  a  delusion  natural  to  old 
men." 

"  You  are  doubtless  correct,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Mackintosh, 
"  but  statistics  cannot  deceive  us  as  to  the  precise  place  Vir- 
ginia occupies  at  this  moment.  They  inform  us,  that  in 
about  one  hundred  counties  of  our  State,  there  are  more 
than  twenty-five  thousand  poor  children,  over  five  years  of 
age,  without  any  means  of  instruction;  this  is  something 
like  one-seventh  of  the  white  children  of  schoolable  age.  It 
is  also  estimated  by  reliable  authority,  that  nearly  one-third 
of  the  voters  of  Virginia  can  neither  read  nor  write.  So 
much,  sir,  for  our  educational  progress.  As  to  literature, 
you  will  of  course  acknowledge  that  we  have  little  to 
boast  of." 

"  Granted,"  interposed  the  General,  "  we  do  not  make 
literature  our  profession ;  our  pride  is  in  our  statesmen, 
whom  we  have  provided  for  the  councils  of  the  nation. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  added  Gen.  Ringgold,  "  it  is  glory  enough  for 
Virginia  to  have  given  birth  to  Washington.    Wliatever  mis- 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  83 

fortunes  may  befall  our  noble  State,  the  confederacy  can 
never  forget  that  she  owes  her  very  existence  to  us." 

"  True,"  replied  Mr.  Mackintosh,  "  I  do  not  forget  Vir- 
ginia's noble  statesmen  ;  her  Washingtons,  and  Patrick  Hen- 
rys and  Jeffersons ;  but  the  aggravation  in  the  case  is,  that 
the  mother  of  such  sons  should  have  clung  to  such  a  curse  so 
madly  and  so  long,  until  her  descendants  have  become  de- 
generated, mentally,  morally  and  physically." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor  ;  "  I  make  free 
to  say,  that  I  do  not  comprehend  the  drift  of  your  re- 
marks." 

"  Murray  only  maintains,  as  usual,  that  our  slave  system 
is  a  curse,"  explained  Gen.  Ringgold. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  asked  the  Doctor,  "  that  the 
reason  -why  Virginia  does  not  lead  in  education,  literature, 
and  other  '  Yankee  notions,'  is  because  of  our  holding  ser- 
vants?    This  is  most  absurd,  sir." 

"  Yes,  Doctor,"  pleasantly  replied  Mackintosh,  "  I  mean 
precisely  so.  Certain  inevitable  consequences  follow  in  the 
train  of  our  holding  servants,  one  of  the  most  fatal  of  which 
is  the  opprobium  cast  on  labor." 

*'  But  I  have  always  supposed,"  rejoined  the  Doctor,  "  that 
the  cultivation  of  literature,  of  all  things,  required  leisure. 
And  how  in  the  name  of  common  sense  are  you  to  convince 
me  that  our  servant  system  is  a  hindrance  to  literary  pur- 
suits ?  No  people  under  heaven  have  as  much  leisure ;  and 
the  fact  is,  we  could  exhibit  as  much  genius  in  these  things 
as  other  people,  if  we  chose  to." 


84  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  Virginians  have  genius  enough,  perhaps,  but  they  are  too 
lazy  to  exercise  it,"  remai-ked  the  Senator. 

"  Well,  sir,  I'm  not  sure  that  you  are  not  right,"  said  Gen. 
Ringgold,  "  for  I  believe  that  men  generally  are  about  as 
lazy  as  they  can  afford  to  be,  and  I  really  don't  suppose  that 
we  planters  are  an  exception.  We  certainly  have  an  ad- 
mirable opportunity  for  the  indulgence  of  our  laziness. 
Murray  is  right,  there ;  our  system  gives  us  very  little  mo- 
tive power.  We  are  sure,  without  exertion,  of  that  wealth, 
influence,  and  ease,  which  are  the  incitement  to  all  exertion 
in  others.  Go  on,  Murray,"  continued  he,  laughing,  "  I'm 
converted  on  one  point." 

"And  that  one  thing  comprehends  everything,  does  it  not, 
uncle,'*"  replied  Mackintosh.  "If  there  is  no  motive  for 
exertion,  what  can  result  but  mental  barrenness  and  moral 
sterility  ;  in  a  word,  social  retrogade  ?  It's  no  new  experi- 
ment we  are  trying.  Despotism  is  coeval  with  barbarism. 
And  we  have  only  to  glance  at  history  to  mark  the  effect  of 
absolutism  on  both  oppressor  and  victim.  How  worked  the 
feudal  system,  with  the  mailed  baron  and  his  serfs  ?  " 

"  You  do  not  intend  to  compare  us  to  feudal  lords !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Taliaferro.  "  I  take  it  we  exercise  rather  more 
humanity  than  they  did." 

"  We  cannot  thank  our  system,  if  we  do,"  replied  Mackin- 
tosh. "We  may  be  cruel  and  iiilmiiuin  despots,  and  never 
feel  any  twinges  from  the  slave-code  conscience." 

"Ah,"  said  Mr.  Pettibone,  the  lackadusical  hero  before 
noticed,  "  I  do  so  admire  the  romantic  feudal  times  !     Such 


coL'six    fkaxck's    household.  85 

beatific  visions  of  knights,  and  toui'naments,  and  ladye-loves, 
float  before  my  imagination,  that  really,  ladies,  I  am  quite 
enthusiastic.  I  often  exclaim  to  myself,  Happy,  proud  Co- 
lumbia, since  the  umbrageous  plant  of  aristocracy  flourishes 
in  thy  borders  ! " 

"Nonsense,  Jef.,"  whispered  Ferdinand  T.,  "  call  it  Atropa 
belladonna,  deadly  nightshade,  and  be  done  with  it." 

"I  appeal  to  the  ladies,"  softly  said  Jefferson  Pettibone. 

'•'  In  every  point  of  view,"  continued  Mackintosh,  "  we  are 
the  losers  by  this  miserable  business  —  this  pestiferous  slave- 
holding.  The  retribution  of  some  sins  seems  to  slumber,  but 
not  so  with  this ;  a  portion  of  its  punishment  follows  hard 
upon  it.  Yet  on  we  dash,  blindfolded  and  deaf;  we  will 
ride,  at  all  events ;  we  will  be  well  mounted ;  and  so  we  go, 
a  merry,  reckless  set  of  cavaliers ;  a  set  of  headless  horse- 
men, trooping  over  crushed  humanity ;  while  the  very  grim- 
est  of  devils  are  making  themselves  jolly  over  our  shame." 

"  Hush,  hush.  Mackintosh,  boy,  not  so  fast,"  coolly  said  the 
old  Senator,  "  you'll  sweep  us  away  together.  But  let  us 
inquire  a  little.  You  speak  as  if  slavery  were  a  sin^ — an 
evil  in  itself,  as  well  as  in  its  perversion.  Now  this  is  more 
than  I  am  prepared  to  admit.  Certainly,  if  it  be  so,  I  have 
yet  to  learn  it ;  and  my  religious  education  has  not  been 
neglected.  I  have  been  trained  up  in  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  I  am  now  a  member  of  tliat  body  of  Christians.  If  our 
system  be  a  sin,  I  of  course  would  like  to  know  it ;  if  it  be 
not  a  sin,  Jet  me  remind  you,  young  man,  that  you  display  a 
little  too  much  presumption,  for  one  of  your  age." 
8 


8G  COUSIN    fhaxck's    household. 

"  I  take  it,"  remarked  General  Ringgold,  "  the  clergy  must 
be  our  most  reliable  authority  in  this  matter.  And  none  of 
us  can  plead  ignorance  of  their  oft -reiterated  testimony  as  to 
the  result  of  tlicir  investigations.  They  uniformly  declare 
that  our  domestic  institution  is  divine,  —  having  been  sanc- 
tioned by  such  illustrious  worthies  as  Abraham,  and  Jonah, 
and  Daniel,  and  several  other  patriarchs,  whose  names  do 
not  now  occur  to  me," — and  the  General  paused,  as  he  saw 
a  funny  smile  playing  on  Murray  Mackintosh's  lips.  "  I 
may  have  misquoted,  but  theology  is  not  my  profession,  and, 
as  I  said  before,  the  clergy  Avho  devote  their  lives  to  the 
elucidation  of  the  laws  of  God,  cannot  be  supposed  to  mis- 
take on  so  vital  a  point  in  divinity,  as  the  question,  what 
.constitutes  sin?" 

"If  slavery  is  a  sin,"  outsjwke  the  Doctor,  "  it  seems  the 
church  pretty  generally  endorses  it ;  or  at  least  grants  it 
universal  absolution." 

"  Yes  ;  and  we  are  such  outrageous,  hackneyed  old  sinners, 
that  we  have  no  conscience  left  to  take  cognizance  of  it,  as  sin, 
eh  ?  "  added  Senator  T.     Bless  me  !  what  a  doctrine  is  this  !  " 

"  Now,  Murray,"  said  Gen.  Ringgold,  "  it  is  most  con- 
summate nonsense  in  yon  to  profess  greater  sanctity  of  senti- 
ment than  those  whose  province  it  is  to  teach  religion.  Give 
up  your  foolish,  fanatical  fancies,  and  be  satisfied  with  the 
good  old  orthodox  platform  of  your  noble  forefathers.  Good 
men  and  true  have  stood  there ;  such  men  still  stand  there, 
and  you  only  make  yourself  ridifulons  in  thus  exalting  your- 
self above  your  betters." 


COUSIN    franck's    uouseiiold.  87 

"  This  appeal  to  the  clergy  and  to  the  church,"  calmly  re- 
plied Mackintosh,  "  reminds  me  of  the  real  state  of  the  case ; 
if  I  mistake  not,  the  true  responsibility  lies  there ;  it  is  the 
sin  of  the  church,  and  for  which  a  God  of  justice  and 
righteousness  will  hold  the  church  responsible.  A  passage 
in  the  history  of  the  early  progress  of  Methodism  may  be  in 
point.  A  few  days  ago,  I  chanced  to  take  up  Southey's  Life 
of  Wesley.  Mr.  Southey  tells  us,  that  '  "Wesley  had  borne 
an  early  testimony  against  the  system  of  negro  slavery.  Dr. 
Coke  feeling  like  Mr.  "Wesley,  took  up  the  subject  with  his 
usual  ardor,  and  preached  upon  it  with  great  vehemence,  and 
prepared  a  petition  to  Congress  for  the  emancipation  of  the 
negroes.  With  this  petition  he  and  Asbury  went  to  Gen. 
Washington,  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  solicited  him  to  sign  it. 
Washington  received  them  courteously  and  hospitably ;  he 
declined  signing  the  petition,  that  being  inconsistent  with 
the  rank  he  held ;  but  he  assured  them  that  he  agreed 
"WITH  THEM,  and  if  the  Assembly  should  take  the  petition 
into  consideration,  he  would  signify  his  sentiments  by  letter. 
They  proceeded  so  far  themselves,  that  they  required  the 
members  of  the  society  to  set  their  slaves  free ;  and  several 
persons  were  found  who  made  this  sacrifice  from  a  sense  of 
duty.  One  planter,  named  Rennon,  emancipated  twenty- 
two,  who  were  at  that  time  worth  from  thirty  to  forty  j)0unds 
each.' " 

"  WTiat  unheard  of  impudence,  for  those  foreigners,  Coke 
and  Asbury,  to  go  to  Gen.  Washington  with  such  a  petition  1 " 
exclaimed  Gen.  Ringgold.     "  Wliy,  what  was  the  old  hero 


88  COUSIN      F.RAXCk's     nOUSKIIOLD. 

thinking  about  that  he  did  not  kick  them  out  of  doors? 
Suppose,  now,  those  miscreants,  George  Thompson  and 
Charles  Stuart,  should  visit  me  on  a  similar  errand ;  their 
bones  Tvould  be  in  some  little  danger,  to  say  the  least." 

"  But  those  old  time  agitators  did  not  escape  a  share  of 
opposition,"  said  Mr.  Taliaferro,  who  belonged  to  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  ;  "  Mr.  Southey  informs  us  that  a  lady 
owner  of  slaves  offered  fifty  pounds  to  some  of  Dr.  Coke's 
hearers,  if  they  would  waylay  him  and  give  him  a  hundred 
lashes,  but  he  managed  to  elude  their  vigilance.  The  grand 
jury  of  one  county  found  a  bill  against  him  at  the  instigation 
of  the  planters,  Avhen  ninety  persons  set  out  in  pursuit,  but 
he  again  escaped.  But  I  am  happy  to  say,"  added  the  old 
gentleman,  "  Mr.  Southey  also  informs  us  that  on  Dr.  Coke's 
second  visit  to  America,  he  was  convinced  that  he  acted  in- 
discreetly, and  he  consented  to  let  the  question  of  emancipation 
rest,  rather  than  stir  up  an  opposition  that  so  greatly  impeded 
the  progress  of  Methodism  !  " 

"  There  we  have  it,  in  a  nutshell,"  exclaimed  Mackintosh ; 
"  the  influence  of  the  Methodist  church  then  conspired  to 
uphold  slavery,  ^And  I  take  it  she  is  not  more  guilty  in  this 
matter  than  arc  the  other  branches  of  the  church." 

"  It  augurs  ill  to  hear  a  man  talk  against  the  church,  Mur- 
ray," said  the  Doctor.  "I  thought  you  were  more  of  a 
Christian  than  that.  I  patronize  religion,  myself,  of  late.  I 
think  it's  a  fine  thing  in  society  —  a  mighty  fine  thing ;  "  and 
a  phase  of  sanctity  settled  down  on  the  Doctor's  countenance. 
"As  to  all  your  reasoning,"  he  continued,  "it  fails  to  con- 


cousix    fraxck's    houskiiold,  89 

vince  me.  The  truth  is,  it  is  necessary  to  the  very  existence 
of  society  that  there  be  gradations ;  we  cannot  all  be  top 
of  the  heap ;  every  man  cannot  be  the  biggest  toad  in  the 
puddle." 

*•  If  I  understand  you,  Mr.  IMackintosh,"  said  Mr.  Tali- 
aferro, "  you  are  advocating  a  heresy ;  you  would  equalize 
men ;  you  would  put  them  on  the  same  level.  Now,  if  I 
read  my  Bible  ariglit,  it  expressly  declares,  that  '  the  poor 
shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land ; '  but  I  understand  you  to 
aspire  to  raise  them  from  that  grade  in  which  Providence 
has  placed  them.  You  will  take  it  kindly,  then,  if  I  warn 
you  against  the  further  indulgence  of  a  presumption,  so  ad- 
verse to  the  inscrutable  decrees  of  the  All-wise  Disposer  of 
men." 

"  You  misconceive  me,  my  dear  sir,"  replied  Mr.  IMackin- 
tosh;  "I  doubt  not  that  the  poor  will  ever  constitute  the 
majority  of  the  population  of  the  earth,  but  what  I  contend 
for  is,  that  each  man  have  his  personal  liberty ;  that  no  man 
hold  property  in  his  fellow-man." 

"  "Well,  well,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Taliaferro,  increasingly  offended, 
"  there  are  many  other  things,  sir,  in  which  you  are  decidedly 
wrong.  Permit  me  to  ask  you  in  what  sense  we  planters  can 
be  compared  to  a  set  of  headless  horsemen ;  answer  me  that, 
will  you  ? "  and  the  old  gentleman,  with  heightened  color, 
inclined  his  head  with  an  emphatic  nod,  that  plainly  said, 
"  You  cannot  do  it,  sir." 

"  I  simply  meant  to  illustrate  our  stuj)id  way  of  blundering 
along  in  this  suicidal,  social  experiment  we  are  making," 


90  COUSIN     FRANCK's     HOUSEnOLD. 

replied  Mr.  Mackintosh.  "It  amounts  to  precisely  this; 
like  a  man  bent  on  a  course  of  sinful  indulgence,  we  dethrone 
reason  to  begin  with,  that  we  may  not  see  the  danger  in  our 
course." 

"  But,"  said  Senator  T.,  "  you  maintain  that  we  are  losers 
in  eveiy  point  of  view,  by  our  domestic  institution.  Now, 
it  seems  to  me,  that  the  system  has  its  advantages,  as  well  as 
its  disadvantages.  Think  of  the  leisure  our  young  people 
have  for  improvement." 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  it  true,  that  by  bestowing  all  physical  labor 
on  servants,  young  people  have  unbounded  leisure  for  im- 
provement, if  only  they  toill  use  it  for  this  purpose"  said  Mr. 
Mackintosh.  "  You  are  a  happy  father ;  your  children  have 
done  so  in  a  surprising  degree ;  they  are,  in  fact,  exceptions 
to  the  general  rule ;  for,  how  few  do  we  find  who  have  the 
least  idea  of  any  mental  exertion.  It  must  be  that  you  are 
a  rare  disciplinarian,  sir,  and  have  in  a  great  measure  saved 
your  children  from  the  ruinous  influence  of  our  system. 
Imbecility  and  inefficiency  are  the  characteristics  of  thousands 
of  our  j'oung  people,  who,  if  they  had  been  born  of  poor 
New-England  parents,  with  precisely  the  same  faculties  they 
now  have,  being  thrown  on  their  own  exertions,  would  excel 
in  honorable  achievement.  But  O,  the  paralizing  effect  of 
this  degradation  of  labor !  It  comes  to  this :  that  wc  must 
have  proxies  to  do  even  our/brain-work  for  us."      *      *       * 

"  Would  you  be  enraptured,  and  borne  away  on  the  billows 
of  sympalhetic  emotion.  Miss  Victorinc,"  said  Jefferson  Pet- 
tibone,  "  I  pray  you  read  tlie  '  Sorrows  of  Werter,'  and  the 


COUSIN    franck's    iiouseuold.  91 

*  Mysteries  of  Udolpho.'  Ah,  Miss,  how  the  beatific  visions 
will  float  in  your  imagination !  0,  I  do  so  admii-e  to  lose 
n:\)'self  in  the  thrilling  novel  of  the  feudal  times !  I  quite 
quarrel  with  Fate,  ladies,  that  I  was  not  made  a  knight." 

"A  right  valiant  knight  you  would  have  made,  no  doubt," 
said  Mackintosh,  turning  his  attention  to  our  group.  "  But 
who  do  you  suppose  would  have  entcred*thc  lists  with  such  a 
hero  as  yourself,  my  dear  make-believe  Don  Quixote?  Pray, 
measure  yourself  by  some  worth-while  standard,  and  find 
out  just  what  you  amount  to." 

"  Have  a  care,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Pettibone,  "  you'll  rouse  my 
angry  passions." 

"  I  wish  I  might,  indeed.  It  would  be  a  relief  from  your 
slip-shod  sentimentality.  And  I  hear  you  recommending 
your  young  friends  here  to  the  same  swill-trough  where  you 
have  so  long  swallowed  the  literary  slops.  Come,  sir,  wake 
up,  and  be  a  man  ;  if  there  is  any  manhood  in  you  ;  and  no 
longer  parade  yourself  as  a  living  illustration  of  the  curse 
of  our  system. —  "  But  cousins  Franck  and  Regina  came  at 
this  moment  to  accompany  us  home ;  and  Rosalie,  Ruth  and 
myself  heard  no  more. 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    VI. 

m 

AN     UNCEREMONIOUS     DEPARTURE. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  27,  18—. 

Dear  S.  —  Nine  o'clock,  tlic  breakfast  hour,  came  yester- 
day, and  no  bell  summoned  us  to  the  table ;  half  an  hour 
passed,  and  still  no  bell.  Cousin  Regina  looked  at  her  gold 
repeater;  —  "Bless  me,  girls,  what  are  the  servants  thinking 
about  ?  It  will  be  too  late  in  the  day  to  go  to  Willow  Creek, 
at  this  rate.  Ruth,  dear,  ring  for  Hannibah"  Ruth  did  as 
desired,  but  no  Hannibal  was  forthcoming.  Madam  Regina, 
getting  "  nervous,"  as  she  expressed  it,  sallied  into  the  dining- 
room,  and  found  that  the  cloth  even  was  not  laid.  "  What 
does  all  this  mean  ?  "  asked  she ;  are  we  to  live  without  eat- 
ing ?     Where's  that  lazy  Hannibal  ?  " 

"  Dun  know,  Missus  !  "  said  little  Jupe,  peering  out  from 
under  the  table,  where  he  had  ensconced  himself,  for  the 
sake  of  the  unswept  crumbs  left  by  Hannibal. 

"  Don't  know  ?  "  echoed  his  mistress ;  "  well,  you  go  find 
him,  quick  time ;  a  pretty  fuss  we  are  in,  this  blessed  morn- 
ing—  no  breakfast!"  and  away  scampered  Jupe  to  parts 
unknown,  glad  to  escape  so  easily.  "And  you,  Johnny," 
added  she  to  the  little  dark  boy  half  hidden  behind  the 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  93 

dining-room  door,  "  do  you  march  directly  to  the  kitchen,  and 
tell  Prince  to  come  here." 

Prince  soon  made  his  appearance,  with  some  trepidation, 
in  his  greasy  cooking  apron,  his  dusky  hands  motlcd  with 
the  morning's  dough. 

"  How  is  this,  Prince?"  asked  the  mistress,  "where  is  our 
breakftxst  ?  " 

"  In  de  kitchen,  Missus.  I  done  got  it  ready  right  smart 
while  'go — but  'pears  like  Hannibal  mighty  sleepy  dis  sher 
mornin'." 

"  Sleepy !  is  that  all  ? "  asked  Madam  Regina,  with  a 
searching  look. 

At  this  moment  Pomp  appeared,  all  out  of  breath  in  his 
quick  waddle  from  the  kitchen,  and  exclaimed,  "  O,  Missus, 
I  reckons  I  ken  'suade  de  run'ways  to  come  back,  ef  I  ken 
ony  hab  de  use  ob  de  swif '  sa'al  hoss." 

"  Wliat  runaways  ?  "  asked  Madam  Regina. 

"  Hannibal  and  Rafe,  Missus.  'Pears  like  dey's  tramped 
off,  an'  is  gittin'  mighty  scars  in  dis  sher  d'rection,"  said 
Pomp,  in  spite  of  sundry  winks,  dry  coughs  and  ahems  from 
Prince. 

"  Please  to  b'lieve  me,  Missus ;  Pomp's  fibbin',  dat  he  is," 
said  Cleopatra,  hastening  in  from  an  adjoining  room ;  "  you 
clar,  you  Pomp,"  added  she,  with  eyes  flashing,  "  'sturbin' 
Missus  wid  your  stehicky  stories,  dis  sher  bressed  mornin'." 

"  How  is  this,  Cleopatra  ?  "  asked  the  mistress ;  "  you  say 
that  Hannibal  and  Rafe  havn't  run  off — have  you  seen  them 
this  morning  ?     Can  you  tell  me  where  they  are  ?  " 


94  cousix    franck's    houskuold. 

"  0,  yes,  Missus ;  I'se  done  seed  dem  over  and  often  dia 
sher  mornin',"  earnestly  replied  Cleopatra. 

"  Where  are  they,  then  ?  "  asked  the  mistress. 

"  "Why,  hi !  Missus,  how's  I'se  to  tell  ?  I'se  had  plenty  to 
do  every  which  way  —  how's  I'se  to  tend  an'  foller  dem  ar 
sarvants  'bout  ?  Rafe  done  gone  to  de  barn,  to  fodder  de 
bosses,  I  'spect,  an'  Hannibal,  praps  he  gone  out  on  some 
yerrand  or  urrur." 

"  Well,  Mima,"  said  Madam  Regina,  as  Rosalie's  maid 
came  in,  "  what  do  you  know  about  this  matter  ?  " 

"Me,  Missus,  I  dun  know  nothing  'bout  it,"  replied  the 
dark  maiden,  with  an  innocent  aii*. 

"  Have  you  seen  Hannibal  this  morning  ?  " 

"  La,  yes.  Missus ;  I  done  seed  him  over  an'  often.  Wj, 
Missus,  he  done  made  de  fires,  an'  clared  up  de  parlor,  an'  a 
heap  of  work  dis  sher  morrin';  but  'pears  like  somebody  done 
interfar  wid  his  'rangements,  an'  he  right  smart  late  in  totin 
in  de  breakfas'." 

Madam  Regina  looked  at  Pomp  inquiringly,  who  replied, 
"Dey's  tellin'  lies.  Missus,  dey  is.  Please  to  b'lieve  me, 
Missus,  dey's  certainly  rund  off." 

"  Were  there  ever  such  servants  ?  "  exclaimed  the  mistress, 
impatiently ;  "  one  might  as  well  hunt  the  needle  in  the  hay- 
mow, as  attempt  to  find  the  truth  in  you.  Go  about  your 
business,  every  one  of  you." 

"  What  you  done  told  Missus  for  ?  "  asked  Prince  of  Pomp, 
in  an  under  tone,  as  the  former  was  bringing  in  breakfast. 

"What  I   done  told   Missus  for?     Why,  you   see,  when 


COUSIX      FRAXCK's      IIOUSKIIOLD.  95 


Missus  send  for  yoti,  I  makes  sure  she  git  on  de  track  ob  de 
mischief,  an'  I'se  been  studying  'pon't,  an'  'parently  it's  no 
manner  ob  use,  dis  sher  tryin'  to  blind  Missus'  eyes,  so  I 
study  pon't,  and  try  to  turn  it  to  some  good  'count.  Ef  she 
send  me  arter  de  run'ways  on  de  swif '  hoss,  praps  I  moughtn't 
be  back  right  smart  libely." 

Cousin  Kegina  conferred  with  her  husband,  and  a  thorough 
search  was  made  on  the  premises,  when  it  became  evident 
that  Hannibal  and  Eafe  had  absconded.  This  discovery 
caused  no  small  commotion.  Cousin  Franck  was  greatly 
excited. 

"  The  ungrateful  dogs  !  "  exclaimed  he  ;  "  I  wouldn't  have 
believed  they  could  do  such  a  rascally  piece  of  business." 

"  It  is  the  strangest  thing !  "  said  Madam  Regina,  ringing 
for  Pomp,  who  soon  appeared.  "  Here,  Pomp,"  added  she, 
"take  this  line  to  Dr.  G.;  remember,  you  be  lively,  for 
once." 

Notwithstanding  all  the  delays  attendant  on  getting  break- 
fast, that  meal  was  finished  before  Dr.  G.  made  his  appear- 
ance. Meanwhile,  another  messenger  was  despatched  for 
him,  and  at  last  he  came,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Taliaferro 
and  Mr.  Mackintosh. 

"  "Well,  gentlemen,"  said  cousin  Franck,  after  the  first 
compUments  of  the  meeting  were  over,  "this  is  most  un- 
precedented, I  must  say." 

"  0,  no,  my  good  friend,"  replied  Mr.  Mackintosh,  "  a 
mere  every-day  occurrence  ;  one  of  the  most  natural  accom- 
paniments  of  our  system.      Gentlemen,  we  may  hear  the 


96  COUSIN    feaxck's    household. 

voice  of  nature  in  this  thing.  Here  are  beings  as  truly 
made  in  God's  image  as  ourselves  ;  with  as  instinctive  a  love 
of  freedom.  Instead  of  wondering  that  now  and  then  one 
acts  up  to  tlie  true  instinct  of  abused  humanity,  I  only  won- 
der that  every  one  docs  not  forsake  the  detested  vassalage." 
"  But  what's  to  be  done  ?  what's  to  be  done  at  such  a  crisis 
as  this  ?  What  do  you  do  when  your  slaves  run  away,  friend 
Mackintosh  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor,  tremulous  from  excitement. 
"  Do,  sir  ?  why,  I  let  them  go,  with  a  God-speed  on  their 
venturesome  journey.  I  do  as  I  would  be  done  by,  supposing 
I  were  the  slave,  and  had  roused  my  energies  for  a  perilous 
flight." 

"Ah,  but  that  is  too  fanatical  a  democracy  for  me,  and 
besides,  I  cannot  afford  it,"  said  the  Doctor.  "  But  what  is 
to  be  done  ?  " 

"  Here  I  am.  Doctor,  on  hand,  at  your  sarvice ! "  exclaimed 
Col.  Cutts,. swaggering  into  the  2>i^rlor  where  the  gentlemen 
were  sitting.  "What's  the  fust  move.  Doctor,  in  givin' 
chase  ?  I'm  an'  old  hound  at  huntin'  niggers.  It  comes 
nat'ral ;  I  like  it  a  sight  better  than  I  uster  huntin'  coons. 
It's  purtic'larly  'livenin'  to  the  feelin's,  an'  it  seems  to  boost 
a  man  upon  the  stilts  of  his  ingenuity.  Fact  is,  it  'fects  his 
speerits,  jest  like  good  old  Madeira,  Avhile  he's  on  the  track, 
an'  when  he  gits  the  game,  by  jolly  aint  it  a  leetle  the 
bcatinest  sport?  Jiniminy!  it's  like  liearin'  the  poppin' of  a 
champagne  cork  !  What's  tlie  fust  move,  Doctor?  " 
"  That  is  wliat  we  are  considering,"  replied  the  Doctor. 
"Affairs  is  puttin'  on  a  seris  face,"  said  Col.  Cutis,  "an' 


COUSIN     FRANCK's     lIOfbKIIOLD.  97 

we'd  belter  be  stirrin',  it's  my  opinion,  if  we  mean  to  ketch 
them  are  runaways  to-day." 

"Exactly,"  said  the  Doctor;  "but  the  first  question  is, 
how  to  proceed ;  this  is  new  business  to  me,  gentlemen,  I 
confess,  and  I  scarcely  know  how  "  — 

"  To  start,  hey  ?  "  interrupted  the  Colonel ;  "  you  feel  like 
a  calf  under  a  new  shed,  don't  you,  Doctor  ?  AVal,  if  'tis 
new  business  to  you,  'taint  to  me.  I  knows  the  way  arter 
niggers  like  a  book.  Sakes  alive !  I'll  be  off  like  a  gun, 
jist  give  me  a  fa'r  commission.  Ye  see.  Doctor,  bein'  as  I's 
an  old  hand,  I  orter  have  a  putty  fa'r  consideration,  con- 
siderin',  you  know.  I'll  handle  them  are  boys  careful,  when 
1  gits  my  paws  on  'em,  you  may  depind.  You  don't  ketch 
me  a  tearin'  'em  useless,  with  hounds,  an'  a  bringin'  on  'em 
back  wuthless  discumbrances.  I'll  insure  'em  safe  an'  sound, 
jest  put  on  a  fa'r  commission.  I'll  keep  a  bright  look-out 
for  your  interests.  Doctor.  I  respects  your  feelin's.  I 
knows  you  don't  want  your  boys  spilt ;  though  'twould  be  a 
sight  easier  ketchin'  on  'em,  ef  I  could  set  the  dogs  on  belter 
skelter.  I  could  afford  to  do  the  thing  dog  cheap,  then,  by 
hoky!  But  a  marciful  man  is  marciful  to  his  beast,  an'  I 
knows  you's  so  humane,  you  won't  stand  payin'  a  feller  putty 
fa'r,  for  doin'  up  the  business  judgmatically." 

"Well,  well,  we'll  see,  we'll  see,"  replied  the  Doctor, 
frowning  on  the  bartering  Yankee,  so  officious  in  selling  his 
services. 

"Time    is    passing,   gentlemen,"    emphatically   observed 
cousin  Franck,  taking  out  his  watch. 
9 


98  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  replied  the  Doctor,  a  little  impatiently. 
''  Well,  as  you  seem  to  understand  this  business,  Cutts,  I 
suppose  I  shall  be  obliged  to  employ  you,  and  will  give  you 
one  hundred  dollars  per  head,  if  you  wiU  deliver  Hannibal 
and  Rafe  to  me  alive ;  if  dead,  or  badly  wounded,  half  that 
sum  must  content  you." 

"  Much  obleeged,  Doctor,"  said  the  Colonel,  attempting  a 
bow,  "  that  is  dog  cheap,  that's  a  fact.  Wy,  it'll  be  a  hard 
pinch  to  make  inds  meet  in  payin'  travellin'  spenses,  s'posin' 
I  hafter  go  far ;  and  thin  thar's  all  the  risk.  Doctor,  thar's 
all  the  risk.  Ilowsomever,  I'm  bound  to  ketch  'em,  by  hoky ! " 
added  he,  considerately  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff  from  a  snug 
little  box,  "  I  never  did  lose  sich  game  yet,  an'  so  I  guess  I'll 
take  you  up.  Doctor." 

After  further  consultation  it  was  agreed,  that  the  Colonel, 
and  one  or  two  neighbors,  if  they  could  be  had,  proceed  di- 
rectly towards  Fredericksburg,  while  the  Doctor  and  cousin 
Franck  take  another  direction,  and,  if  the  fugitives  were  not 
taken  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours,  advertisements  were 
to  be  inserted  in  the  Richmond  papers. 

Meanwhile  cousin  Regina,  witli  characteristic  zeal,  had 
been  engaged  in  the  further  ferreting  out  of  the  mischief, 
lest  it  become  contagious.  Poor  Martha  was  tortured  with 
a  cross-questioning  that  would  have  done  credit  to  an  in- 
genious lawyer ;  all  to  little  purpose,  however,  if  one  might 
judge  from  cousin  Regina's  appearance  as  she  emerged  from 
the  cabin. 

"If  Martha  knows  what  direction  Kafe  went,  she  falsifies," 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  99 

said  she,  in  answer  to  Rosalie's  inquiries.  "  I  can  get  nothing 
out  of  her ;  she  is  a  perfect  mule  this  morning.  I'd  have 
her  whipped,  if  I  did  not  so  hold  it  in  abomination.  I've 
been  looking  over  Rafe's  clothes,  so  I  know  precisely  what  he 
wore  aw-ay ;  this  will  be  of  service  in  the  advertisements." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Rosalie ;  "  and  now,  mamma,  now  for 
"Willow  Creek ;  I  do  so  long  to  have  the  house  regulated 
once  more.  But  what  shall  we  do,  when  the  Doctor  takes 
away  Aunt  Selma  ?  It  is  the  strangest  thing  I  ever  knew 
you  do,  Mamma,  selling  her ;  there  isn't  another  servant  in 
the  land  equal  to  her.  I  wish  to  goodness  he  would  take 
some  one  else  in  her  place  !  " 

"  That  would  be  very  pleasant,  no  doubt,"  replied  Madam 
Regina,  "but,  daughter,  we  cannot  expect  to  have  every- 
thing to  our  minds,  in  this  world;  we  shall  be  subject  to  self- 
denials  and  sacrifices  if  w-e  do  our  duty.  How  we  shall  get 
along  with  it,  I  cannot  say ;  tliis  sale  certainly  looks  like  a 
very  trying  affair  for  ourselves,  as  well  as  the  Doctor." 

«  That  it  does,"  replied  Rosalie  ;  "  I  do  so  pity  him  ;  just 
bought  those  servants,  and  before  they  do  an  hour's  work  for 
him  they  must  run  away.  And  now,  mamma,  I  am  going  to 
make  Mrs.  Gen.  Ringgold  a  little  visit  of  a  few  days,  until 
you  get  regulated.  I  shall  get  incurably  nervous,  if  I  stay 
here  in  all  this  commotion." 

"  Just  as  you  please,  Rosalie,"  rephed  her  mother,  with  a 
disappointed  air,  "  although  I  must  say,  if  I  ever  needed  you, 
I  do  now.  You  could  be  very  useful,  if  you  remained,  in 
helping  me  regulate  atfairs." 


100  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

"  Useful  ?  O,  mamma,  don't  mention  it,  please.  I  abhor 
the  word  —  so  vulgar  and  utilitarian.  If  one  of  us  must  be 
so  degraded,  let  it  be  Ruth,  please ;  she  is  the  youngest, 
and  it  accords  with  her  strange,  matter-of-fact  fancies,  to 
be  usefuL" 

"  Very  well,"  said  Madam  Regina,  in  a  tone  contradictory 
to  the  words.  In  a  moment  after,  she  added  more  pleasantly, 
"  Ruth  will  accompany  me  to  Willow  Creek,  to  select  ser- 
vants and  teach  them  their  new  occupations.  Thank  heaven  ! 
I  have  one  daughter  who  studies  my  wishes.  Meanwhile 
I  will  put  nurse  Selma  in  housekeeper ;  she  and  Pocahontas 
will  get  along  very  well,  I  doubt  not."  Of  course,  I  nodded 
assent,  for  I  already  loved  Selma  dearly,  and  longed  to  culti- 
vate a  further  acquaintance. 

Hearing  the  clattering  of  horses'  hoofs,  I  looked  out  into 
the  court,  and  beheld  six  men  mounted  for  the  pursuit. 
Among  them  were  cousin  Franck,  the  Doctor,  Mr.  Pettibone 
and  the  Colonel.  The  latter  was  examining  a  brace  of 
pistols,  and,  having  satisfied  himself  of  their  good  condition, 
he  deposited  them  in  the  broad  leathern  belt  about  his  waist. 
Cousin  Franck  dismounted,  and  patted  a  furious-looking 
hound,  saying,  "  Good  fellow,  good  fellow,  Hotspur." 

"  That's  music !  "  said'  a  rough-looking  man,  who  seemed 
to  be  the  owner  of  the  pack  of  hounds  ;  "  there's  a  hound  for 
you;  he's  deatli  on  niggers'  tracks  —  the  keenest  scent  in 
the  pack." 

"  Now  these  ere  dogs  are  just  the  beatenist  critters,"  said 
the  Colonel  to  the  Doctor,  an'  I  s'pose  we  might  as  well  be 


^ 


COUSIN    frA^ck's    household.  101 

scatterin',  an'  give  'em  a  cliance  to  show  'emselves.  It's  my 
opinion,  them  are  niggers  will  hafter  have  considerable  light- 
nin'  in  their  heels  to  keep  clar  of  'era ; "  and,  whistling  for 
the  hounds  appointed  him,  he  put  spurs  to  his  restive  steed, 
and,  followed  by  two  of  the  horsemen,  he  was  on  his  way  to 
Fredericksburg.  The  remainder  of  the  company,  namely, 
cousin  Franck,  the  Doctor  and  Mr.  Pettibone,  were  not  long 
in  completing  their  arrangements,  and  set  out  at  the  top  of 
their  speed  for  Richmond. 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    VII. 

selma's    history. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  28,  18—. 
Dear  S.  —  The  late  sale,  and  the  prospect  of  soon  parting 
from  the  beloved  Selma,  have  wrought  great  changes  in 
Ruth.  She  is  very  pale  and  sad,  and  I  cannot  help  foreboding 
the  worst.  Madam  Regina  has  her  fears,  too,  and  watches 
over  her  with  unwonted  tenderness.  Notwithstanding  this 
matron's  earnest,  calculating,  masculine  traits,  she  has  some- 
thing of  a  woman's  heart  withal,  not  entirely  perverted  by 
the  unfortunate  circumstances  in  which  her  lot  has  been  cast. 
She  adopts  the  common  Southern  theory  respecting  the  man- 
agement of  servants,  which  is,  that  they  must  be  made  to 
know  their  place,  or  be  kept  in  subjection  by  vigilant  stern- 
ness ;  and  lier  habitual  manner  when  chiding  them  is,  of 
course,  consistent  with  this  theory.  Like  most  people,  however, 
she  varies  her  mood  with  circumstances  ;  when  not  excited  by 
the  perversities  of  her  servants,  she  is  apparently  amiable, 
^  and  her  beaming  face  pleasantly  enlivens  the  home  circle,  or 
the  social  party.  But  when  the  fond  mother's  solicitude 
softens  her  eye,  as  she  gazes  with  deep  affection  on  her  frail 
Ruth,  she  appears  really  lovely. 


COUSIN     FRANCk's     IIOUSEUOLD.  103 

Ruth  would  have  preferred  remaining  at  home,  in  place 
of  going  to  Willow  Creek,  but  she  could  not  well  excuse 
herself,  particularly  as  her  mother  was  quite  sure  the  ride 
would  have  the  effect  of  restoring  the  tone  of  her  health. 
Her  consent  to  go  was  quite  gi-atifying  to  the  latter,  who 
proudly  commended  her,  saying  she  was  worth  half  a  dozen 
Rosalies.  As  Rafe  had  taken  "  French  leave,"  it  was  neces- 
sary to  borrow  a  coachman  of  one  of  the  neighbors.  In  due 
time  the  Cameron  carriage  drove  to  the  door,  and  cousin 
Regina,  with  many  careful  admonitions,  to  the  effect  that  I 
must  not  let  the  servants  run  over  me,  or  run  away  in  her 
absence,  seated  herself  beside  Ruth,  and  I  was  left  alone,  the 
mistress  pro  tern,  of  the  Cameron  mansion.  Not  having  any 
special  fancy  for  cutting  flourishes  at  housekeeping,  i.  e., 
ordering  servants  about,  I  hied  me  to  the  library,  where,  I 
must  acknowledge,  the  afternoon  crept  wearily  enough.  My 
wayward  heart  was  in  no  mood  for  books  ;  fly  away  it  would, 
in  spite  of  me,  and  seek  the  lone  path  of  the  fugitives,  Han- 
nibal and  Rafe.  Just  then  I  would  have  given  worlds  to 
have  been  assured  that  they  would  escape  tne  pursuer.  But 
I  seemed  to  see  the  pitiless  hounds,  and  more  pitiless  fellow- 
mortals,  on  their  track,  and  themselves,  fatigued  and  famished, 
plunging  into  the  cold,  black  creek,  crossing  and  recrossing 
to  deceive  the  dogs,  and  still  pressing  on  —  on  —  on — in 
their  wearisome  flight,  their  clothes  stiffened  to  ice,  and  their 
hearts  trembling  with  fear ;  and  anon  I  seemed  to  hear  this 
prayer  from  one  and  then  from  the  other,  "  O  God,  be  not 
far  from  me ;  0  my  God,  make  haste  for  my  help." 


104  COUSIN      FUAXCIC'S      IIOUSKHOLD. 

But  tlie  tea-bell  at  length  effectually  dissipated  the  host  of 
torturing  conceptions  Avhich  thronged  around  my  excited 
sympathies ;  and  a  welcome  sound  it  was  ;  not  on  this  account 
only,  but  because  I  had  determined  to  spend  the  long  winter 
evening  with  Selma,  and  draw  from  her,  what  I  had  greatly 
desired,  some  account  of  her  life,  which,  I  felt  sure,  contained 
a  more  than  wonted  interest. 

Soon  after  supper,  a  knock  at  the  nursery  door  was  an 
swered  by  good  Selma  in  person,  whom  I  affectionately 
kissed,  after  the  manner  of  Ruth,  and  the  promptings  of  my 
own  feelings,  and  seated  myself  in  Pliilip  Augustus'  well- 
stuffed  rocking-chair,  occupying  a  comfortable  corner  by  the 
cheering  walnut  fire.  The  lordly  boy  was  abed  and  asleep, 
as  were  Washington  and  Clara,  and  as  Aunt  Selma  was 
knitting,  I  took  my  work  from  my  reticule  ;  —  you  must  know 
that  Ruth  and  I  have  organized  ourselves  into  a  benevolent 
society,  and  are  knitting  stockings  for  the  little  negroes. 

"  Do  you  think  Hannibal  and  Rafe  will  escape  ?  "  asked  I 
of  Selma. 

"The  chances  are  greatly  against  them,"  replied  she, 
shaking  her  head ;  "  thirty  are  taken,  we  are  told,  where  one 
escapes." 

"  0,  is  it  possible ! "  I  exclaimed,  and  my  heart  sank 
within  me. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come  in  to  sit  with  me  this  evening," 
said  Selma,  after  a  pause ;  "  you  are  very  kind,"  and  the 
tears  came  into  her  eyes. 


COUSIN    fran'ck's    household.  105 

"  I  am  glad  to  come,"  I  replied ;  "  now  will  you  please  to 
tell  me  sometliing  of  your  history?  " 

''  My  history  !  "  said  Selma,  with  thoughtful  surprise  ;  "  I 
fear  you  would  not  be  as  happy  as  you  are,  if  you  knew  it. 
The  life  of  your  cousin  Regina  and  my  life  have  run  side 
by  side,  and  one  cannot  be  given  without  portions  of  the 
other." 

"Never  mind,  please  tell  me,"  I  persisted,  and  after  a 
little  hesitation,  she  thus  began  : 

"Master  Henry  Hartley  owned  a  large  plantation  in 
Carolina,  not  far  from  the  mountains.  He  had  a  fine  house, 
a  beautiful  wife  and  children,  and  a  great  many  horses  and 
slaves,  and  was  one  of  the  most  indulgent  masters  in,  the 
country.  He  was  your  cousin  Regiua's  father,  and  she  is 
much  like  him,  —  the  same  commanding  figure,  broad,  high 
forehead,  and  blue  eye.  "When  he  was  pleasant,  the  clear 
sky  of  a  spring  morning  was  not  more  lovely ;  but  when  in  a 
passion  with  his  slaves,  as  was  often  the  case,  his  eye  flashed, 
and  his  brow  was  darkened  by  the  tempest  within. 

"  My  mother  was  a  mulatto,  very  handsome,  and  very  sin- 
gular in  her  ways.  "We  lived  in  a  pretty  Httle  dwelling,  half 
boAver,  half  cabin,  just  beyond  the  arbor  vitae  hedge  of  the 
garden.  An  old  weeping  Avillow,  whose  branches  swept  the 
greensward,  shaded  it  from  the  afternoon  sun.  Many 
climbing  vines  were  encouraged  to  run  over  our  cabin,  by  my 
mother,  who  had  a  great  passion  for  flowers. 

My  mother  was  subject  to  occasional  fits  of  derangement, 
and  went  by  the  name  of  '  Crazy  Milly.'     The  same  derange- 


106  COUSIN      FRAXCK'S      HOrSEIIOI.D. 

ment  affected  some  of  the  Hartley  family,  and  she  inherited 
it  from  her  white  father,  whose  name  was  Hartley.  Any 
great  fatigue,  excitement  or  conti-adiction  was  sufficient  to 
cloud  her  reason  for  the  time,  and  then  the  mad  pranks  she 
would  play  it  is  not  possible  to  describe.  Everybody  feared 
her,  even  Master,  for  he  was  utterly  unable  to  couti'ol  her. 
If  any  one  displeased  her,  she  was  sure  to  remember  it,  and 
play  him  some  malicious  trick  when  her  mad  fit  was  on.  At 
midnight  it  was  her  delight  to  sing,  scream  or  shriek  in  some 
almost  inaccessible  tree  top.  A  less  considerate  master 
might  have  questioned  her  right  to  be  insane,  for  many  will 
hardly  permit  a  slave  to  be  sick ;  but  our  master  had  seen 
too  many  crazy  members  in  his  own  family  to  doubt  the 
reahty  of  the  disease  in  my  mother.  As  she  grew  older,  her 
derangement  increased ;  she  had  more  frequent  attacks,  and 
they  lasted  longer.  She  was  much  petted,  and  orders  were 
given  that  no  one  should  trouble  or  cross  her ;  —  in  fact,  when 
sane,  she  had  nearly  as  much  power  as  her  mistress.  She 
had  four  children :  two  boys,  twins,  older  than  myself,  and  a 
little  girl,  Fayett,  younger.  Never  did  a  mother  love  her 
children  better  than  Crazy  Milly,  when  she  was  herself,  and 
sometimes,  when  the  fit  came  on,  she  seemed  possessed  with 
the  idea  that  we  were  all  to  be  sold,  and  would  not  suffer  us 
to  be  out  of  her  sight  for  a  moment.  She  thought  herself  and 
children  free,  but  was  full  of  the  most  agonizing  fears  that 
we  should  be  seized  as  slaves. 

"  When  I  was  quite  a  little  girl,  I  asked  my  mother,  in  one 
of  her  sane  intervals,  who  was  my  father.     '  Why  do  you 


COUSIN    fraxck's    household.  107 

ask,  Selma  ? '  said  she,  fixing  her  large,  bright  eyes  upon  me. 
I  told  her  that  Kegina  called  Master  papa,  and  that  he  played 
with  her,  and  called  her  his  little  rogue,  and  sometimes,  when 
nobody  was  present,  he  played  with  me,  took  me  up  in  his 
arms,  kissed  me,  and  called  me  his  pretty  little  rogue,  and  I 
don't  know,  but  Master  might  be  my  papa  too,  only  he  don't 
want  anybody  to  know  it. 

" '  O,  you  are  a  bright  little  rogue,'  said  my  mother,  catch- 
ing me  up,  '  you  deserve  to  know  who  your  father  is,  indeed 
you  do ;  —  Regina's  papa  is  your  'pa  too.' 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  what  a  strange  effect  the  knowledge  of 
this  fact  had  on  me.  My  little  heart  was  filled  wuth  painful 
thoughts ;  for,  from  my  earliest  recollection,  I  had  been  given 
to  Regina  as  her  maid  —  I  was  told  that  I  was  born  expressly 
to  wait  on  her  and  do  her  bidding ;  now  I  could  not  under- 
stand why  I  was  not  her  equal,  as  we  had  the  same  father. 
I  finally  thought  it  must  be  because  my  mother  had  crazy 
spells,  and  O,  how  I  wished  she  would  get  well  of  them,  for 
then  my  father  would  not  push  me  away  any  more  when  peo- 
ple were  by,  he  would  let  me  call  him  father,  and  Regina 
would  not  have  all  the  pretty  playthings,  and  I  should  not 
have  to  run  till  I  was  so  tired  to  wait  on  her. 

"  My  twin  brothers,  Wilham  and  Wallace,  were  noble 
looking  boys;  they  were  much  like  their  father  —  for  my 
father  was  theirs.  He  had  no  other  sons,  and  he  seemed  in- 
clined to  love  them  very  much,  if  only  he  dared.  His  beauti- 
ful wife  could  not  endure  the  sight  of  them,  because  they  were 
her  husband's  slave  children,  and  because  they  so  much  resem- 


108  COUSIN     FRANCK's     nOUSEHOLD. 

bled  him  ;  and  she  was  always  begging  him  to  sell  them,  or  send 
them  off  to  his  Alabama  plantation.  But  he  was  deaf  to  her 
entreaties,  either  carelessly  whistling  a  reply,  or  telling  her 
she  did  not  know  what  she  was  talking  about.  When  they 
were  eight  years  old,  he  took  them  into  the  house  to  be 
waiters,  that  he  might  have  them  near  him,  and  that  their 
tasks  might  be  lighter  than  if  they  served  him  as  field  hands. 
But  there  was  no  end  to  the  little  and  great  annoyances  and 
oppressions  they  got  from  Mistress.  The  very  worst  con- 
struction she  always  put  on  the  little  mistakes  and  mishaps 
that  attended  their  labor ;  and  the  surest  way  for  any  servant 
to  gain  her  favor,  was  to  accuse  them  of  some  offence.  It 
was  but  a  sorrowful  life  that  they  led,  now  and  then  a  little 
lightened  by  a  smile  and  a  few  kind  words  from  Master. 
These  tokens  of  his  sympathy  and  aifection  grew  more  and 
more  rare,  however,  as  Mistress  would  give  him  no  peace, 
constantly  urging  him  to  dispose  of  those  against  wlioni  her 
hate  and  malignity  were  so  much  excited.  He  looked  very 
sad,  and  seemed  to  have  no  heart  to  smile,  and  as  for  kind 
words,  it  may  be  he  thought  they  would  only  unfit  his  slave 
sons  for  the  rough  treatment  they  must  meet  in  their  life  of 
bondage. 

"But  those  dear  boys  bore  their  troubles  very  differently. 
William  seemed  to  be  sustained  by  a  lofty  faith — the  faith  of 
a  Christian ;  and  in  my  later  life  as  I  have  read,  and  re- 
flected, and  compared  him  with  others,  he  has  seemed  to  mo 
to  possess  the  heroism  of  a  martyr.  Wallace  was  his  op- 
posite;  his  proud  heart  rebelled  against  his  lot;  he  hated 


COUSIN    fuaxck's    iiouskiiold.  109 

tliose  that  oppressed  him,  and  said  William  was  a  fool  for 
praying  for  such  bad  people.  Still  they  clung  to  each  other 
with  wonderful  affection  ;  the  sorrows  they  shared  so  equally 
bound  their  hearts  together,  as  well  as  the  bond  of  their  birth. 

"  The  great  fear  of  Mistress  was,  that  Master  would  allow 
these  sons  to  engage  his  affections  —  that  he  would  dote  on 
them,  finally  give  them  their  freedom,  and  make  them  heirs 
equally  with  Regina.  So  she  was  unceasing  in  her  efforts 
to  divert  his  good  will  from  them,  and  although  she  did  not 
succeed  in  this,  yet,  moved  by  a  desire  for  peace,  in  an  evil 
hour  he  consented  that  they  should  be  sent  away  the  first 
opportunity. 

"It  was  a  pleasant  summer  afternoon,  and  as  a  sort  of 
pastime  from  the  confinement  of  house  service.  Master  had 
given  the  brothers  leave  to  join  mother  in  pruning  and  trim- 
ming the  hedge.  Happy,  happy  was  she  then,  with  her  noble 
boys  beside  her,  and  her  little  girls  playing  on  the  green  vel- 
vet turf.  William  and  Wallace  begged  she  would  sit  down 
and  rest,  and  let  them  do  the  little  job  themselves ;  but  no  j 
she  loved  too  well  to  labor  beside  them.  '  It  was  only  play ; 
many  hands  make  light  work,'  she  said,  as  she  cheerfully 
tripped  along,  felling  twigs  and  leaves  with  her  pruning 
knife.  The  fragrant  hedge  row  —  for  it  was  interspersed  with 
Bweet  brier  —  was  in  order  at  length,  and  mother,  leaving  us 
to  play  '  hide  and  seek'  in  the  clumps  of  flowering  shrubbery, 
went  into  our  cool,  grotto-hke  cabm,  to  prepare  supper.  We 
had  leave  to  eat  together,  the  hour  being  so  early  that  the 
boys  would  not  be  needed  in  the  house,  until  after  our  meal. 
10 


110  COUSIN    fuaxck's    household. 

In  a  little  while  she  came  to  caU  us  from  our  play,  and  there 
was  an  expression  of  sadness  on  her  face,  such  as  was  some- 
times seen  before  her  crazy  turns.  We  were  hushed  at  once, 
and  clustered  around  her  as  she  entered  the  door. 

"  '  Mother  must  be  glad  to-day,'  said  William,  gently  kiss- 
ing her. 

" '  I  have  been  glad,  very  glad,'  she  replied,  in  a  sad  tone, 
'  but  I  tell  you,  childi-en,  the  dark  cloud  is  coming ; '  and  she 
shuddered  with  dread  as  she  spoke.  She  sometimes  had  a 
presentiment  of  her  derangement  —  a  sickening  horror  slowly 
creeping  over  lier  —  and  so  it  was  now. 

" '  I  must  pray  with  you  before  it  comes,'  she  quickly 
added,  and  her  tearless  eyes  glared  on  us  like  the  noontide 
sun.  '  May  the  Father  keep  me  from  harming  my  children  ! 
O,  my  God,  keep  me  in  the  darkness !  O,  Jesus,  save  me !' 
were  her  agonized  petitions.  William  kneeled  beside  her, 
clasping  her  hands,  and  praying  with  every  breath ;  Wallace, 
half  frantic,  threw  himself  on  the  floor,  and  cried  as  if  his 
heart  was  breaking,  and  Fayett  and  I  clung  to  her  in  our 
fright.  At  last  she  grew  calm  ;  the  peace  of  the  Saviour  fell 
on  her  stricken  heart  as  the  dew  falls  on  the  thirsty 
flower.  She  arose,  and  gently  said  a  few  words  to  us,  —  'It 
will  all  be  well  at  last  if  we  only  reach  heaven ;  strive  to 
get  there,  children ;  Jesus  will  help  you.'  She  then  called 
us  to  the  table,  and  silently  and  sadly  we  attempted  to  eat 

"  Suddenly  there  was  a  darkening  of  the  sky  and  a  dash 
of  rain-drops,  and  a  servant  came  to  call  the  boys  and  my- 
self to  the  house.     A  stranger  had  just  come  in  ;  he  seemed 


COUSIN    fkanck's    household.  Ill 

to  be  a  drover,  for  there  was  a  company  of  slaves,  chained, 
two  together,  standing  in  the  yard,  and  INIaster  ordered  that 
they  be  taken  to  the  kitchen,  and  a  good  fire  be  made  to  dry 
them. 

"  Here,  then,  was  a  chance  to  dispose  of  "William  and 
Wallace.  A  bargain  was  struck  with  the  drover ;  though 
Master  seemed  to  act  hesitatingly,  and  with  real  reluctance. 
I  kept  close  watch  of  his  movements,  for,  young  as  I  was,  I 
felt  intensely  for  my  dear  brothers  and  my  poor  mother.  I 
feared  she  would  be  utterly  mad  ever  after.  Master  per- 
suaded the  drover  to  stay  until  after  nightfall,  that  he  might 
take  the  boys  off  unnoticed  by  Crazy  Milly. 

"  I  had  hidden  in  the  deep  shadow  of  the  multiflora  that 
overhung  the  portico,  and  Master  was  taking  leave  of  his 
slave  sons.  It  was  the  last  time  I  should  ever  see  them,  and 
O  how  my  heart  ached !  How  I  longed  to  weep  on  their 
necks,  and  kiss  them  good-bye !  but  I  must  not. 

"  Master  called  them  to  him,  and,  taking  a  hand  of  each, 
told  them  to  be  good  boys,  and  said  he  hoped  the  drover 
would  treat  them  kindly,  when  they  both  burst  into  tears,  and 
sobbed  audibly.  '  0,  hush,  boys,'  said  Master,  in  a  husky 
voice,  '  why,  you'll  never  be  men,  at  this  rate  !  Bless  me  ! 
you  going  to  make  a  fuss  now  ?     O,  fie  ! ' 

"  '  Master,  you  are  our  father,'  pleaded  "William  ;  '  O,  plca~e 
do  not  sell  us ! '  and  he  knelt  down  and  clasped  Master's 
knees. 

" '  Yes,  Master,'  added  Wallace,  sinking  down  beside  Wil- 
liam, '  please  don't  sell  us  ;  we've  always  been  good,' — 


112  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

"'I  know  it,  I  know  it,'  said  Master,  quickly,  his  voice 
trembling ;  '  you  are  the  best  boys  in  the  world,  and  it's  a 
fact  I'd  about  as  lief  cut  my  throat  as  sell  you,  but  there  is 
no  help  for  it ;  it  must  be  done ! '  and  he  took  out  his  hand- 
kerchief and  wiped  his  eyes. 

" '  Please  let  us  stay  with  you,'  said  William,  in  a  grieved 
voice.  '  We'll  work  for  you  as  long  as  we  live,'  said  Wallace, 
'■  O,  father,  please  let  us  stay.' 

"  '  Quit  calling  me  father  ! '  exclaimed  Master,  sternly,  his 
brow  darkening.  '  If  I  am  your  father,  you  are  none  the  less 
my  slaves,  I  reckon.  Up  with  you  !  Wipe  up  your  eyes ; 
you'll  find  it's  no  use  to  snivel ! '  and  as  they  stood  before 
him,  still  weeping,  in  vain  trying  to  harden  their  hearts  to 
meet  their  fate,  he  seemed  a  little  softened,  but,  with  an  air 
of  indifference,  said,  '  I  shall  always  wish  you  well,  boys, 
I  shall  always  wish  you  well.  Now,  boys,  you  must  go,'  he 
added,  for  he  heard  a  footstep ;  then,  slipping  a  small  piece 
of  money  into  the  hand  of  each,  he  delivered  them  to  the 
drover,  and  betook  himself  to  his  cigar. 

"  My  beautiful  brothers,  still  Aveeping,  were  chained  to- 
gether and  put  into  the  drover's  gang,  IMaster  merely  inter- 
mitting the  puffing  of  his  cigar  to  say,  '  Take  good  care  of 
those  boys,  Mr.  Drover  ;  keep  them  in  good  condition  —  they 
are  choice  stock.' 

"*0f  course,'  said  the  drover,  mounting  his  horse,  'we'll 
take  good  cai-e  of  'em ;  that's  our  puffession.  As  ter  their 
bein'  any  choicer  stock  than  the  bigger  part  of  my  gang,  I 
dares  any  man  ter  say  it.     Fact  is,  I've  got  a  specimen  lot, 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  113 


so  tcr  S2)eak,  a  specimen  of  Anglo-Saxon  blood,  I  reckon 
they  calls  it  ;  at  any  rate,  I'm  takiu'  tcr  market  some  of  the 
best  blood  in  the  '  Old  Dominion.'  Curi's  times,  these  ere 
is,  'Square ;  folks  spekilates  in  a'most  all  sorts  o'  things. 
Ingenus,  aint  it,  now,  for  a  body  to  tarn  a  body's  own  blood 
to  sich  account.  Now  there's  better'n  a  thousan'  dollars  I've 
gin  you  for  these  ere  two  'sponsibilitics.' 

"  '  Come,  come,  sir,'  said  blaster,  '  you  are  getting  personal. 
You  forget  the  lime  and  the  jdace.' 

"*Jes'  so,  'Square,  an'  I'll  be  gwine,'  said  the  drover,  'but 
seems  to  me,  ef  I  traded  away  my  own  flesh  an'  blood,  as 
some  on  you  'ristocrats  does,  I'd  be  a  little  more  thankful  to 
them  as  oblecged  me  by  peddlin'  it  out.  Jupiter  Ammin ! 
you  treat  us  as  if  we  was  a  mean  set  o'  blaggards ! '  and  he 
uttered  a  fierce  oath. 

"  '  Excuse  me,'  said  Master,  going  up  to  him,  and  saying 
something  I  did  not  hear ;  but  I  caught  the  words,  '  If  I  were 
you,  I  should  think  it  safe  to  be  going —  Crazy  Milly  may  do 
you  more  damage  than  your  bargain  is  worth.' 

"  The  drover  muttered  something  in  a  low  tone,  and 
whistling  for  his  dogs,  gave  the  signal  to  the  gang,  who  had 
been  standing  a  few  rods  distant,  when  the  whole  company 
moved  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  and  in  a  few  moments  were  out 
of  sight.  No  servant  was  permitted  to  speak  to  mother  that 
night,  and  she  did  not  know  of  her  loss  until  the  dear  boys 
were  far,  far  away.  When  she  missed  them,  and  found  out 
that  they  were  gone,  then,  indeed,  her  sun  set  in  darkness. 
'  0  that  they  had  died,  rather  than  this  ! '  she  exclaimed,  and 
10* 


114  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

her  reason  was  luirled  from  its  throne.  She  was  a  raving 
maniac,  rushing  here,  and  there,  and  everywhere,  her  brain 
on  fire,  alternatolj  singing  in  wild  glee,  and  shrieking  in  mad 
frenzy.  She  would  spend  the  night  in  trees,  which  no  one 
but  herself  could  climb,  and  her  shrill  voice  was  heard,  pray- 
ing, shouting,  singing  and  screaming  until  morning,  when,  ex- 
hausted, she  sought  her  cabin  and  fell  asleep.  She  continued 
in  this  state  for  a  number  of  days ;  but  one  night  she  sud- 
denly disappeared,  taking  my  sweet  blue-eyed  sister  with  her. 
Immediate  search  was  made,  the  streams  were  dragged,  the 
woods  scoured,  but  all  to  no  purpose ;  no  trace  of  her  could 
be  found,  and  at  length  pursuit  was  given  over.  Master's 
neighbors  called  to  condole  with  him  on  his  loss,  and  he  re- 
plied to  them  as  if  he  had  lost  a  portion  of  his  crops.  No 
one  felt  for  the  maniac  wanderer  and  her  child ;  no  one 
thought  of  the  sufferings  of  the  slave-orphan  left  behind. 
My  cup  was  now  full,  and  0,  how  bitter !  My  two  lovely 
brothers  had  been  dragged  off  to  I  knew  not  what  horrors ; 
and  now  my  poor  mother,  crazed  by  her  sufferings,  had  per- 
haps killed  both  herself  and  my  sweet  little  sister,  or,  if 
alive,  they  were  perhaps  enduring,  in  body  and  mind,  ex- 
posures more  dreadful  than  death  itself.  The  very  uncer- 
tainty which  hung  around  all,  added  ten-fold  to  my  anguish. 
By  night  I  was  terrified  with  horrid  dreams,  and  by  day  I 
brooded  over  the  hideous  pictures  which  my  imagination 
painted  before  me  with  almost  the  vividness  of  reality.  But 
there  was  not  one  human  being  to  whom  I  could  utter  a 
word  expecting  sympathy  in  return  ;  nay,  not  one  from  whom 


COUSIN     FRANCK'3     HOUSEHOLD.  115 


I  should  not  have  been  rudely  repelled.  0,  it  Avas  so  crush- 
ing, that  terrible  conviction,  that  there  was  not  one  solitary 
being  who  cared  for  me  or  my  suffei'ings ! 

"After  my  daily  work  Avas  done,  and  I  had  waited  on 
Regina  until  she  went  to  sleep,  I  used  to  take  a  moui-nful 
pleasure  in  visiting  all  the  places  where  my  brothers  and  I 
had  played  together ;  and  poor,  dear  little  Fayett,  I  kissed 
the  ground  her  feet  had  pressed.  At  last,  indeed,  I  sought 
the  old,  lofty  trees,  in  whose  swaying  tops  my  mother  used 
to  shriek  and  sing,  and,  as  I  sat  on  their  mossy  roots,  I 
thought  and  thought  in  my  sorrow,  until  it  almost  seemed 
my  sick  brain  would  turn. 

"One  chilly  September  night  I  had  sat  down  under  a 
lofty  pine  —  my  mother's  favorite  tree  when  her  wailing  mood 
was  on  —  and  was  leaning  against  its  shaggy  trunk,  now 
listening  to  the  sad  music  of  the  wind  singing  among  the 
leaves,  and  now  catching  glimpses  of  the  moon  and  stars 
that  flickered  among  the  drifting  clouds  ;  I  had  for  some  time 
felt  my  heart  hardening  like  the  nether  mill-stone  ;  I  almost 
felt  inclined  to  doubt  the  being  of  a  God,  or  at  least  to  call 
in  question  his  regard  for  liis  creatures.  I  know  not  how 
long  I  had  sat  there  gazing  at  the  stars,  and  laboring  to  re- 
assure myself  that  there  was  a  God,  when  I  was  startled  by 
the  rustling  of  the  leaves,  and  a  growl  of  a  dog,  followed  by 
a  low  whistle ;  starting  forward,  I  saw  the  figure  of  a  man 
approaching,  half  liidden  by  the  trees.  I  did  not  feel  afraid, 
for  sorrow  had  made  me  incapable  of  fear.     As  the  man 


116  COUSIN     FUANCK's     UOUSEIIOLD. 


came  nearer,  I  thought  I  knew  him ;  he  beckoned  to  me, 
and  I  went  a  few  steps  to  meet  him, 

" '  Is  you  Selma  ? '  he  asked. 

"  <  Yes,'  said  I. 

" '  Iv'e  come  from  Milly ;  she  wants  to  see  you.' 

" '  My  mother  ?  Where  is  she  ?  Let  me  go  to  her,'  I  said, 
ahnost  wild  with  emotion. 

" '  It's  right  smart  ways  off,'  said  the  man,  who  I  now  re- 
membered was  gardener  David,  w'ho  ran  off  some  time  before 
my  brothers  were  sold.  '  It'll  take  two  hours  to  go  there.' 
But  I  begged  to  go  to  her,  and  taking  hold  of  David's  hand, 
tripped  briskly  by  his  side.  After  a  fast  walk  of  about  an 
hour,  crossing  plantations  by  unfrequented  paths,  and  beside 
hedges,  we  came  to  the  woods  that  encompassed  and  walled 
up  the  mountains.  As  we  passed  along,  I  tried  to  mark  ob- 
jects with  my  eye,  that  I  might  find  the  way  if  ever  I  sought 
it  alone.  The  way  soon  became  steep,  almost  precipitous, 
and  it  was  only  by  clinging  to  the  tangled  underbrush  that 
we  could  ascend.  At  last,  after  clambering  among  rolling 
stones,  briars,  and  bushes  for  a  long  time,  David  stopped  be- 
fore a  thick  clump  of  bushes,  and  gave  a  signal  whistle.  It 
was  answered  by  a  hand  moving  away  some  of  the  branches 
of  the  thicket,  and  a  head  peering  out  upon  us.  In  a  mo- 
ment more  I  found  myself  borne  into  a  spacious  cavern,  of 
which  this  thicket  concealed  the  entrance,  and  in  a  sort  of  a 
rocky  recess,  before  which  pine  boughs  had  been  placed  to 
complete  the  partition,  I  found  my  dear  mother,  asleep,  lying 
on  a  bed  of  leaves.     As  David  took  me  to  her  side,  I  saw 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  117 


that  slic  was  very  pale  and  emaciated,  and  tliat  there  were 
traces  of  tears  on  her  cheek.  My  own  tears  gushed  freely 
at  this,  and  I  would  have  thrown  my  arms  about  her  neck, 
but  David  held  me  back,  saying, 

" '  Not  now,  Selma,  let  the  poor  thing  sleep  when  she  can.' 

"  *  Is  she  very  sick  ? '  I  whispered. 

" '  That  she  is,'  replied  he.  *  Bless  the  Lord,  her  stroubles 
is  almost  over.' 

"  I  sat  down  by  my  mother's  leafy  bed,  and  gazed  at  her 
as  weU  as  I  could  through  my  blinding  tears ;  there  was  that 
sweet,  pensive  face  I  had  so  longed  to  see,  and  I  knew  that 
she  was  not  now  insane ;  but  O,  the  bitter,  heart-breaking 
pang  to  think  that  she  must  die  —  that  I  must  so  soon  lose 
her  whom  I  had  found,  and  on  whom  I  longed  to  lean  and 
pour  out  the  full  burden  of  my  heart.  But  where  was  my 
little  Fayett?  I  feared  she  was  dead,  and  dreaded  to 
ask,  when  I  saw  a  strange  little  figure  clad  in  shaggy  deer- 
skin coming  towards  me  from  a  remote  part  of  the  cavern, 
led  by  a  tall,  dark  woman,  who  bore  a  blazing  pine  knot.  I 
sprang  forward  — 

" '  Fayett ! '  '  Selma ! '  and  we  were  clasped  in  each  other's 
arms,  crying  for  joy.  The  first  burst  a  little  over,  we  sat 
down,  her  hand  in  mine,  and  gazed  into  each  other's  eyes, 
our  hearts  too  full  for  utterance. 

"  My  mother  awoke,  and  feebly  asked  if  I  had  come,  and, 
hand  in  hand,  my  little  wild  sister  and  myself  went  and 
kneeled  beside  her  lowly  bed. 

"  I  do  bless  thee,  0  my   God ! '  said  my  own  precious 


118  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

motlier,  as  she  took  me  to  her  bosom  and  kissed  me.  '  It  is 
you,  indeed,  isn't  it,  Selma.  I  have  dreamed  of  jou  so  mucli 
that  I  fear  it  is  not  reality ;  yes,  it  is  my  own  child,  and  nov,- 
I  can  die  in  peace.' 

"  '  0,  mother,  do  not  talk  of  dying,'  I  brokenly  uttered. 

'"Why  not,  Selma?'  replied  she,  calmly,  her  face  beam- 
ing with  a  happy  look,  '  why  should  I  not  talk  of  dying  —  I 
shall  be  so  happy  when  I  reach  my  Saviour  !  If  it  had  been 
His  will,  I  would  have  blessed  my  boys  before  I  go  ;  —  God 
will  hear  my  prayer  and  restore  them  to  me  in  heaven.' 
She  paused,  for  her  breath  came  heavily.  It  was  a  wild, 
strange  scene  —  that  lone  cavern  in  the  bosom  of  the  moun- 
tain, the  dying  woman,  the  dark  figures,  clad  in  skins  of 
beasts,  gazing  on  her  as  they  wept,  "fend  the  brilliant  glare  of 
the  torches  lighting  up  the  craggy  walls  of  that  moss-grown 
habitation.     All  wept,  and  I  knew  that  they  were  friends. 

" '  It  is  time  for  you  to  go,'  at  length  said  David. 

"'O,  no!'  I  exclaimed,  *I  cannot  go  back — I  cannot 
leave  my  mother  when  she  is  dying.' 

"  Mother  beckoned  to  an  old  woman  named  Hilka.  The 
latter  had  been  a  nurse  all  her  life ;  but  on  the  death  of  her 
old  master  and  mistress,  to  whom  she  was  much  attached, 
and  the  sale  of  the  estate,  she  had  fallen  into  such  cruel 
hands  that  she  had  escaped  to  this  retreat.  Hilka,  having 
felt  the  pulse  of  her  patient,  said  she  would  live  another 
night.  As  I  kissed  my  mother  a  good  bye,  she  whispered  in 
a  few  words  her  wishes  that  I  should  faithfully  serve  Regina, 
and,  leaving  Fayett  in  the  care  of  the  kind  friends  she  had 


COUSIN    fuan'ck's    household.  119 

found  sometimes  come  to  see  her,  and  bring  her  what  food 
and  clothes  I  could  spare  from  the  portions  given  me. 

"  David  told  me,  on  my  way  back,  that  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore, he  found  my  mother  and  Fayett  in  the  woods  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  almost  starved ;  and  that,  although 
crazy  at  intervals,  she  had  been  sane  most  of  the  time  since 
living  in  the  cave.  It  was  her  exposure  in  the  sickly  night 
air,  her  frequent  derangements,  and  her  sorrow  at  parting 
with  her  children,  that  had  conspired  to  shorten  her  life. 

"  I  reached  Regina's  room  in  safety  before  morning,  and 
my  absence  was  undiscovered. 

"  David  was  to  come  for  me  next  night,  and  wearily 
enough  I  went  through  with  the  duties  of  the  day.  The 
vexations  and  annoyances  of  waiting  on  Miss  Regina,  as  I 
was  required  to  call  her,  seemed  a  hundred  fold  more  in- 
tolerable than  ever  before ;  for  I  longed  to  be  watching  beside 
my  poor  mother.  "WTien  it  was  dark,  and  my  work  was 
done,  I  hastened  to  meet  gardener  David,  and  was  again  led 
to  the  forest  cavern.  My  mother  was  dying !  Gasping  for 
breath,  she  was  sitting  upon  her  bed,  supported  by  nurse 
Hilka.  With  a  serene  smile  she  reached  out  her  hand  to 
me,  saying,  at  broken  intervals,  '  It  is  almost  over ;  I  am 
almost  free.'  And  again,  '  Happy,  happy,'  as  glimpses  of 
heaven  broke  in  on  her  vision.  '  Love  Jesus,'  she  said, 
gazing  on  me  with  her  melting  eyes ;  and,  as  I  bowed  my 
head  and  wept,  I  promised  her  that  I  would  love  him.  '  0, 
God,  bring  all  my  children  to  thy  fold ! '  were  her  dying 
words.     As  her  spirit  took  its  flight,  filled  with  grief  as  I 


120                        COUSIN     FKAXCIv's     HOUSKIIOLD. 
f^ 

was,  I  yet  felt  melted  in  submission  befoi-e  God.  His  sus- 
taining arms  had  been  about  my  mother  in  her  dying  hour, 
and  I  felt  to  praise  him,  that,  so  calm  and  radiant  with  peace, 
she  had  gone  hence. 

"  Clasped  in  my  Uttle  sistei''s  arms,  a  passionate  burst  of 
grief  swept  over  me,  more  for  her  bereaved  desolation  than 
my  own.  Ti'ho  would  care  for  her  now  ?  AVhat  place  of 
safety  was  there  for  her  in  the  wide  world  ?  If  she  went 
back  with  me,  she  must  be  again  a  slave ;  and  I  thought, 
better  dwell  in  the  dim  old  cavern,  live  on  roots  and  water, 
and  wear  the  skins  of  beasts,  than  return  to  such  a  fate.  I 
would  not  go  back  myself,  had  it  not  been  my  dying  mother's 
request,  that  I  might  help  succor  the  poor  people  dwelling 
there,  if  they  were  like  to  starve.  It  was  but  a  temporary 
abode ;  most  that  sought  it,  did  so  with  the  hope  of  escaping 
to  the  free  States,  and  were  waiting,  some  for  clothes,  and 
some  for  a  favorable  time  to  go.  A  few,  in  their  despair, 
were  waiting  to  die.  The  hour  came  again  for  me  to  return, 
and,  with  many  tears,  taking  the  last  look  of  tlie  dead  one 
I  so  fondly  loved,  and  tearing  myself  from  my  little  sister,  I 
sought  Regina's  room. 

"  It  was  a  sad,  weary  life  that  I  led.  I  was  pining  in 
grief,  Avhen  Reguia  aroused  me  by  the  strange  proposal,  that 
I  learn  to  read.  As  Master  had  no  objections  to  the  plan,  I 
was  soon  diligently  studying  under  the  care  of  the  family 
govei'ncss.  Regina  was  a  mature,  intelligent  child,  but  loved 
play  better  than  study,  a7id  this  proposal  avus  a  device  of  hers 
to  gain  time  from  her  books.     In  the  course  of  a  few  months 


COUSIN    franck's    houseuold.  121 

I  could  read  Regina's  lessons  to  her  passably  well.  During 
this  time  I  had  frequently  visited  my  little  sister  in  her 
cavern  home,  and  had  wept  on  my  mother's  grave  in  the 
mountains.  Old  nurse  Ililka  had  formed  a  strong  attach- 
ment for  Fayett,  and,  in  her  rest  from  toil,  had  so  renewed 
her  youth  that  she  had  planned  a  flight  to  the  North,  with 
my  little  sister  and  her  son,  who  had  lately  escaped  to  the 
cave.  It  seemed  like  the  bitterness  of  death,  for  me  to  part 
with  the  only  one  I  now  had  to  love,  but  she  had  found  a 
nestling  place  in  old  Plilka's  heart,  and  how  could  I  utter  a 
word  to  quench  her  faint  hope  of  freedom. 

"  How  well  I  remember  the  night  I  helped  fit  her  off!  I 
carried  her  some  of  my  clothes,  and  food  I  had  laid  by  from 
many  a  meal.  I  longed  to  go  with  her,  but  my  absence 
would  increase  the  danger  of  the  three  being  taken,  as  search 
would  be  made  for  me.  I  saw  them  depart  with  a  firm  re- 
solve to  bide  my  time,  for  freedom  seemed  inexpressibly  dear 
to  me,  and  my  loftiest  earthly  aspiration  was  some  day  to 
enjoy  it.  I  had  a  dissatisfaction  with  the  life  I  led,  amount- 
ing to  loathing.  I  Hved  under  the  same  roof  with  Regina, 
we  were  children  of  the  same  father,  we  had  the  same  studies, 
and  yet  how  impassable  the  gulf  that  separated  us  ! 

"Mistress,  fearful  that  the  advantages  Regina  was  so 
whimsical  as  to  give  me  would  spoil  me,  interposed  various 
obstacles.  She  never  wanted  an  occasion  to  find  fault  with 
me,  and  seemed  firmly  set  against  being  pleased  with  any- 
thing I  did.  She  declared  I  was  proud,  and  Regina  would 
yet  rue  the  day  she  gave  me  a  chance  to  learn. 
11 


122  COUSIX      KUANCK  3     UOUSEUOLD. 

"Yet,  with  all  my  ailvantagcs,  I  was  nothing  but  a  poor 
shivc,  liable  to  be  sold  whenever  it  would  be  for  the  interest, 
or  would  gratify  the  eaprice,  of  those  that  owned  me.  I  was 
motherless,  and  worse  than  fatherless ;  that  most  desolate  of 
human  beings,  a  slave  orphan.  INIaster's  heart  grew  hard 
towards  me  after  his  sale  of  the  boys ;  he  drank  freely,  and 
never  seemed  like  himself  again. 

"  As  the  slow  years  erept  away.  Crazy  Milly  and  Fayett 
had  died  out  of  mind,  and  the  names  of  my  brothers  were 
never  mentioned.  Regina  became  the  flattered  belle.  I, 
the  slighted  slave,  longed  for  something  on  which  to  place 
my  affections,  and  love  and  confide  in  as  I  had  in  my  mother, 
my  brothers  and  sister  —  some  one  to  whom  I  could  entrust 
the  varied  fears  and  trials  of  a  slave  life. 

"  Herbert  Williams  was  a  favorite  servant  of  Master's  ;  in 
telligent  and  active,  grave  and  sedate  in  his  bearing,  and,  like 
myself,  mostly  akin  to  tlic  white  race.  "Witli  the  ai<l  of  a  fvv,' 
hints  from  me,  he  had  become  a  good  reader  and  writer,  and 
Master,  availing  himself  of  his  increased  capacity  for  use- 
fulness, employed  him  to  keep  his  books,  and  sometimes  to 
write  his  letters.  Herbert  was  always  kind  to  me,  but  such 
vras  the  reserve  of  his  manner,  that  I  did  not  speak  with  him 
of  my  great  griefs,  until  years  after  I  had  parted  with  all  my 
family.  At  last  we  discovered  that  we  loved  each  other,  and 
consent  being  given  to  our  union,  we  were  married.  Regina, 
saying  that  a  lady's  maid  should  be  married  like  a  lady,  made 
us  a  little  wedding  in  the  parlor,  lighting  the  astral  lamp, 
and,  what  was  strangest  and  best  of  all,  we  were  marri(>d  by 


COUSIN    franck's    houseuold.  123 

the  parish  clergyman.  How  his  voice  trembled  when  he 
said,  '  What  God  hath  joined  together  let  not  man  jtut  asun- 
der I ' 

"  Regina  was  united,  about  the  same  time,  to  a  rich  old 
bachelor  in  the  vicinity,  named  Col.  Moulton.  Wlien  she 
removed  to  her  new  home,  she,  of  course,  took  me  with  her, 
and  my  husband  remained  with  Master  ;  we  were  not  allowed 
to  see  each  other  oftener  than  once  in  two  or  three  weeks. 
Five  years  passed,  and  Regina  was  the  mother  of  Rosalie 
and  Ruth,  and  I  of  a  beautiful  boy  —  Hannibal. 

"  Some  weeks  had  passed  since  I  had  seen  my  husband, 
and  I  got  no  satisfactory  answers  to  my  oft  inquiries ;  at 
length  Regina  told  me  that  he  had  been  stolen  by  a  drover. 
The  terrible  truth  was  revealed;  Master  had  sold  Mm! 
Again  I  drank  the  overflowing  cup  of  anguish.  I  could  only 
go  to  God  with  my  heart-rending  griefs. 

"  My  darling  boy,  as  he  grew  up  so  beautiful  and  noble, 
I  almost  feared  to  love,  lest  he,  too,  should  be  taken  from 
me.     And  now  he  is  gone,  and  I  am  sold  to  the  far  South." 

"  O,  Aunt  Selma,"  I  exclaimed,  bursting  anew  into  tears, 
"don't  weep,  don't  weep ;  it  will  all  be  well  at  last ! 

"  Yes,  yes,"  she  replied,  more  calmly,  after  an  interval  of 
weeping,  "  all  well  at  last,  if  God  but  interpose,  as  I  have  so 
earnestly  prayed,  for  my  brothers,  my  sister,  my  husband  and 
my  son." 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    VIII. 

"poor  whites." 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Jan.  6,  18 — . 
Dear  S.  —  It  was  almost  night  of  the  day  fixed  for  the 
return  of  cousins  Regina  and  Ruth.  I  had  been  looking  out 
for  them  for  some  time,  when  the  Cameron  carriage  di'ove  up 
before  the  door.  The  driver  dismounted,  but  instead  of  let- 
ting down  the  steps,  gave  a  letter  to  little  Jupe,  who,  as  usual, 
was  on  hand  admiiing  the  horses.  It  was  from  Ruth,  giving 
the  information  that  a  serious  accident  had  happened.  It 
seems  that  the  horses  had  taken  fright,  and,  being  unused  to 
the  driver,  could  not  be  controlled,  but  had  dashed  away  at  a 
furious  rate  a  great  distance,  and  finally  had  been  stopped  by 
being  reined  up  to  a  fence,  in  the  doing  of  which,  however, 
the  carriage  had  been  upset,  and  Madam  Regina  badly  hurt, 
her  arm  being  broken  and  ankle  dislocated.  The  letter  Avent 
on  to  say,  that  one  of  the  poor  whites,  coming  along  at  the  in- 
stant, helped  disentangle  tlie  horses  and  upright  the  carriage, 
and  took  them  to  his  own  little  shanty,  located  in  the  mean 
settlement  of  Pison  Fields.  Ruth  concluded  her  letter  by 
requesting  that  Selma  and  I  would  come  to  her  mother  as 
soon  as  possible.     I  immediately  sought  out  Selma,  and  ar- 


I 


COUSIN    fkanck's    uouskiiold.  125 

rangemcnts  were  soon  completed  for  starting  off  .at  an  early 
honr  in  the  morning.  Cousin  Fi'anck's  horses  were  so 
scratched  and  strained  that  they  hatl  to  he  forthwith  put  under 
the  care  of  Pomp,  wlio,  hy  the  way,  heiiig  given  to  quackery, 
is  in  truth  no  contemptihle  specimen  of  a  liorse  doctor.  A 
neighbor,  however,  very  kindly  offered  his  horses  and  driver 
for  the  occasion,  and  in  due  time  Selma  and  I,  fully  equipped, 
set  out. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  rude  setr- 
tlcment,  composed  of  a  few  log  huts  scattered  over  a  worn-out 
pine  barren,  which  nobody  claimed.  The  occupants  of  the 
huts  are  distinguished  for  their  lazy,  drunken  habits,  and 
their  squalid  degradation,  —  they  being  a  portion  of  that 
great  class  called  "  poor  whites,"  who  constitute  the  worst  ex- 
crescence and  inevitable  product  of  the  slave  system.  They 
resemble  the  Blaggs  of  Eastern  Virginia,  the  Clay  Eaters  of 
Georgia,  and  the  Piney  Woods  people  of  North  Carolina. 
It  is  not  pretended  that  they  approach  the  slaves  of  Virginia 
in  respectability  and  honesty  of  character.  The  men  rarely 
do  anything  for  a  livelihood  beside  hunting,  fishing  and  thiev- 
ing. The  women  are  more  industrious,  but  do  as  little  as 
possible.  The  latter  do  all  the  ploughing,  hoeing  and  gather- 
ing of  the  little  corn  they  raise,  which  is  their  only  croj). 

The  doors  and  window -holes  of  every  hut  were  filled  with 
heads  when  we  arrived,  and  if  staring  had  been  devouring, 
we  had  quickly  disappeared  before  voracious  curiosity. 

We  found  Madam  Regina  in  one  of  the  most  decent  look- 
ing huts  of  the  group,  but  it  was,  after  all,  miserable  enough. 
11* 


126  COUSIN     FRANCK's     llOUSKUOLD. 

Unlike  some  others,  it  had  a  chimney  built  of  sticks  and  clay, 
for  not  unfrequently  this  is  considered  a  superfluity  that  can 
be  dispensed  with,  the  smoke  being  left  to  find  its  way  out  of 
the  hole  in  the  roof  as  best  it  can.  The  little  dwelling  was 
divided  into  two  rooms,  the  most  comfortable  of  which  had 
undergone  a  partial  "daring"  for  cousin  Regina's  reception. 
I  was  surprised  to  find  her  accommodated  Avith  so  comfortable 
a  bed,  but  afterwards  learned  that  it  was  borrowed  from  one 
of  the  nearest  plantations. 

Poor  Madam  Regina!  how  she  wept  when  she  saw  us! 
"  0,  I'm  so  glad  you  have  come,"  she  said,  when  she  could 
command  her  voice ;  "  what  have  I  not  suffered  ?  " 

Ruth  met  us  with  a  most  affectionate  greeting.  I  found 
her  looking  in  better  health  than  when  she  left  us,  although 
§he  had  been  assiduous  in  her  capacity  as  nurse.  The 
change  and  exciting  incidents  had  diverted  her  mind  from 
the  morbid  sorrow  that  was  consuming  her. 

Dijah  Gray's  services  and  accommodations  had  plainly  been 
furnished  with  at  least  half  an  eye  to  the  pay.  The  sum  he 
might  reasonably  expect  to  clear  on  this  off-hand  speculation, 
would  go  far  toward  the  winter  support  of  his  half-famished 
family.  He  was  a  short,  spare,  meagre-looking  man,  com- 
plexion durable  drab,  with  hair  and  eyes  but  a  shade  darker. 
He  had  a  cross,  currish  way  of  speaking — a  sort  of  human 
growl  —  and  in  his  scanty,  many-colored  fur  coat,  to  which 
cat  skins  were  the  principal  contributions,  he  made  altogether 
a  most  wolfish  and  forlorn  appearance.  His  wife  was  a  tall, 
gaunt,  cadaverous  woman,  disgusting  and  ugly  in   the  ex- 


COUSIN    fkanck's    uouseuold.  127 

treme.  She  wore  a  tattered,  cheeked,  linsey  woolsey  gown, 
evidently  the  cast-off  relic  of  some  house  slave,  a  dingy 
apron,  besmeared  with  grease  and  dirt,  and  a  filthy,  calico 
nightcap,  which  vainly  essayed  to  keep  in  subjection  her  un- 
combed, oven-broomish  hair.  On  our  arrival,  her  attempt  at 
a  look  of  good  humor  overcame  her  habitual  surliness  so  far 
only  as  to  get  her  countenance  into  a  grim  and  haggard  grin. 

It  was  a  strange  relief  to  glance  from  the  disagreeable 
parents  to  their  children  —  little  Tommy  and  Netty,  ten  and 
eight  years  old.  The  poor,  thin  little  tilings,  half  fed  and 
half  clad,  with  their  pensive,  blue  eyes,  and  curly,  flaxen  hair, 
had  that  pecuHar,  saddened  look,  that  bhghted  blitheness  of 
childhood,  which  long  days  and  years  of  starvation  and  harsh 
treatment  alone  can  produce. 

"  Dis  slier  yaccident  makes  us  right  smart  out  o'  kilter," 
observed  Mrs.  Gray,  apologizing  to  Ruth  and  me  for  the 
shocking  developments  of  her  housekeeping,  as  we  were  get- 
ting tea  from  the  little  store  of  things  put  up  by  the  thought- 
ful Selma.  "  Tommy,"  continued  she,  elevating  her  voice, 
''  come,  be  spry,  an'  sweep  down  them  are  cobwebs  ;  an'  Netty, 
you  stupid  dunce,  why  don't  you  hoe  out  the  room  ?  "  Tom- 
ray,  taking  the  hemlock  broom,  and  Netty  the  wooden  hoe, 
proceeded  to  do  as  bidden,  while  the  indolent  mother,  having 
quaffed  a  dram  of  whiskey  from  a  bro\vn  jug  in  the  catch-all 
comer,  lazily  jogged  herself  in  a  screeching  chair. 

We  had  hardly  seated  ourself  to  tea  in  ]Madam  Regina's 
room,  when  we  heard  the  voice  of  Dijah  Gray,  who  had  just 
returned  home. 


« 


128  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


"  I'll  be  darned,  old  woman,  ef  jou  baint  swilled  down  all 
tbc  wbizkey !  Niver  bas  anytbing  comforable  for  me  when 
I  gets  bum,  you  don't." 

"  I  baint  drunk  it  all  uji  nitber,  as  I  know  in  my  knowing, 
I  say,"  replied  the  wife,  "these  ere  young  uns  tarned  it  over, 
I  reckons." 

"  The  careless  wbilps  !  I'll  whip  'em  within  an  incb  of  their 
Uves;  I  will;" growled  out  the  father.  "  Come  here,  Tom! 
this  way.  Net !"  and  we  beard  the  sound  of  blows.  "  Tarn 
over  your  father's  wbizkey,  will  you  ?  Tarn  over  your  father's 
wbizkey  ?  be  must  come  bum  in  the  cold  an  git  no  supper, 
must  he,  you  earless  wbilps  ?  " 

"  This  is  too  much ;  I  cannot  stand  this  !  "  exclaimed  Ruth, 
getting  up  from  the  table,  and  gently  opening  the  door ; 
"  Mr.  Gray,  please  do  not  punish  the  children,  they  did  not 
mean  to  do  any  barm,"  she  interposed  in  her  own  quiet, 
charming  way. 

"  "Wal,  wal,  Miss,"  replied  Mr.  Gray,  in  a  changed  tone, 
"  ef  you  don't  want  these  ere  young  uns  slapped,  wy  then, 
Amin,  so  be  it;  but  they  is  a  mighty  sight  uglier  than  Cain, 
ef  'tis  their  father  that  says  it.  Jes'  consider,  Miss,  what 
they're  up  tow,"  continued  be,  "  spillin'  my  wbizkey,  ivry 
blessed  drop.  Its'  jes'  as  useful  tow  me  as  so  much  raverent 
rum,  —  an'  taint  the  fust  time,  nitber,  it's  what  I  havter  slap 
*em  for  ivry  day.  "Wy,  Miss,  it's  'nough  tow  make  a  parson 
swar,  'tis  ;  go  off  tow  work  for  my  family,  —  sweat  at  it,  work 
like  a  dog,  come  bum,  an  ivry  blessed  drop  o'  the  wbizkey 


I 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  129 

pplit,  jist  as  cf  'twas  only  water !  I  'peal  tow  you,  Miss,  ef 
taint  too  bad." 

"  I  do  not  think  Tommy  and  Netty  meant  to  do  any  harm," 
rcplieil  Ruth. 

"  Wal,  'pon  word,  likenough  they  dint,"  said  Mr.  Gray, 
"  there's  no  tellin'  what  the  old  woman  is  capable  o'  dwine. 
She's  a  high-stericky  piece,  an'  I  has  my  conjections  she's  up 
tow  drinkin'  the  whizkey,  an'  layin'  'toff  tow  the  young 
uns  tarnin'  over.  I  would'ntmind  it,  but  whizkey  is  my 
main  livin'  —  wy.  Miss,  a  gallon  o'  whizkey  '11  go  as  fur 
t'wards  sportin'  my  family  as  a  bushel  o'  corn.  It's  our  staff 
o'  life,  Miss." 

"  I  say,  Sally,"  continued  Mr.  Gray,  turning  to  liis  wife, 
who  was  all  this  while  smoking  her  pipe,  and  screeching  her 
rickety  chair,  "  what  the  deuce  you  drink  my  whizkey  for  ? 
Been  tow  work  all  day  for  my  family,  come  hum,  all  the 
whizkey  gone  ;  rinsequently,  nothin'  for  supper !  I  tell  you 
what,  old  woman,  you  drinkt  my  whizkey," 

"  Wal,  sposen  I  did,"  shouted  Mrs.  Gray,  getting  roused, 
"  help  yeself  ef  ye  ken,  Dijah,  whose  a  better  right  ?  what's 
yourn  is  mine,  an  what's  mine  is  mine,  I  reckons,"  and  puff, 
puff,  puff  went  her  pipe  in  an  angry,  expletive  sort  of 
way.  "  Trate  a  body  as  you  do  me, — it's  a  mighty  shame," 
puff,  puff,  puff,  "  always  braggin'  o'  what  you  done  to  sport 
your  family,  when  you  won't  niver  arn  the  salt  in  your  por- 
ridge." Puff,  puff.  "  You  know,  you  lazy  dog,  when  you 
pertind  you're  dwine  lots  tow  git  victuals  an'  drink  for  me, 
it's  only  pertince,  ''puff,  puff,  puff,  "  you're  half  asleep,  day  in 


130  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


an'  (lay  out  down  tow  Siah  Tumpkins'  liquor  store."  PufF, 
puff,  pufF. 

"  Now,  Sally,  don't  now,  don't  git  distrepus,"  said  the  chop- 
fallen  Dijah,  "  I  always  work  when  I  gits  a  job,  don't  I  now, 
Sally  ?  Ye  see  Miss,"  continued  he,  addressing  Ruth,  "  what 
makes  us  such  poor  wretches  is,  we  can't  git  no  work  no  how ; 
niggers  cuts  us  out  ivry  which  way ;  they're  as  thick  as  tuds 
arter  a  shower.  Blast  it !  aint  we  in  a  putty  pickle  ?  No 
chance  to  git  a  ?'«'spectable  livin',  no  how  you  ken  fix  it. 
There's  a  chance  for  eny  most  ivry  sort  o'  thing  but  us  poor 
whites,  —  we're  at  the  bottom  of  the  mountain,  an'  we  can't 
niver  climb  it,  ef  we  try  ever  so  hard,  —  it's  jes'no  use  tryin' 
tow  rise,  —  we're  down,  an'  we've  got  to  stay  down,"  said  the 
man,  in  a  sad  tone. 

"Pshaw,  Dijah,  don't  you  be  so  hypoey,"  replied  Mrs. 
Gray,  "  it's  all  jes'as  bad  as  you  say,  I  know,  but  then  it's  no 
use  knowin'  ont,  we'd  better  smoke  an'  drownd  our  troubles. 
I  has  my  thoughts,  Miss  Ruth,  poor,  lazy,  drunken  body  that 
you  think  I  be,  I  has  my  thoughts  when  I  sits  here  in  my 
old  cheer  from  mornin'  till  night,  tyin'  seins  when  I  can  get 
'em  to  tie  ;  I  say  to  myself,  it's  a  mighty  big  snarl  of  a  tan- 
gle that  things  is  got  into,  an  I  should  be  glad  tow  know 
who's  gwine  to  straighten  'em.  Rich  folks  likes  miglitily 
tow  keep  us  poor  whites  down,  but,  land  o'  massy !  how'd 
they  like  to  be  in  our  place  ?  An'  they  do  say  that  some  on 
'em  is  comin'  down  to  our  relevation  fast." 

"  Blast  'em !  it's  'nough  to  make  a  body  swar,  'tis,  tow 
think  ont,"  chimed  in  Mr.   Gray,  "  livin'  on  the  fat  o'  the 


COUSIN     FRANCK's     nOUSEUOLD.  131 

land,  an'  we,  poor  critters,  enny  jest  a  starvin'.  I  don't  mean 
you,  Miss,  as  I  knows  on,  —  you  looks  good  an'  kind,  an'  sorry 
for  us,  but  the  bigger  part  of  the  rich  is  mighty  cruel  hearted, 
an'  there  aint  no  need  ont  nitlier.  But  we  poor  whites  is 
driv  tow  do  some  hard  turns,  —  we  don't  bile  an'  eat  our  chil- 
len,  exactly,  but  I'll  tell  you,  lady,  we's  sometimes  driv  to 
sell  'em  to  the  nigger  buyer.  I  done  selled  my  oldest  boy, 
right  smart  while  ago,  I  did,  jes'tow  keep  the  res' on  us  from 
starvin'." 

"  O,  is  it  possible  ?  "  exclaimed  Ruth. 

"Yes,  Miss,  an'  his  weepin'  eyes  has  follered  me  ever 
since.  lie  din't  want  tow  go  a  bit,  poor  feller,  an'  I  had  tow 
harden  my  heart,"  —  and  the  tears  really  took  the  place  of 
the  man's  words. 

"  How  Charley  did  cry  tow  stay,"  said  Mrs.  Gray,  in  a 
softened  tone,  as  she  put  up  her  pipe,  "  he  was  enny  jist  the 
best  boy  you  ever  seed,  but  we  didn't  know  it  till  arter  'twas 
too  late ;  he  us'tow  always  run  an'  fill  the  jug,  an'  make  the 
pones  an'  porridge,  sweep  the  huss,  an'  keep  things  nice  as  a 
button.  0  dear  me  suz  !  'pears  to  me  I'd  starve  an'  welcome, 
ef  Charley  was  only  back  agin  ! " 

"  Ye  see.  Miss,  dis  sher's  the  way  it  happened,"  added  Mr. 
Gray,  commanding  his  voice.  "  Bill  Tuggs,  one  of  our 
nighest  nabors  down  here,  made  a  dive  to  rise  in  the  world. 
He  always  had  a  dreadful  knack  at  tradin,'  —  he  had  a  store 
in  a  little  room  of  his  huss,  an  he'd  cheat  us  all  out  o'  our 
eyes  afore  we  knowd  it.  Wal,  he  happened  to  trade  with 
some  of  the  overseers  round,  trading  minx  skins  an'  some  sich, 


132  COUSIN      FKANCK'd      IIOISEUOLD. 

an'  they  said  'twas  too  deucctl  bad  tliat  sicli  talents  be  hid  un- 
der a  bushel ;  so  they  gin  him  a  lift  an'  made  him  a  nigger 
buyer,  an  tow  pay  for  the  hilp,  he  was  tow  gin  them  a  sheer 
in  his  profits.  Wal,  Bill  Tuggs  would  come  hum  once  in  a 
while,  an'  swagger  an'  strut  round  among  us,  dressed  up  like 
a  peacock,  an'  there's  no  end  tow  the  money  he  had ;  then 
he  had  a  gold  watch,  gold  chain,  gold  finger-rings,  gold  ear- 
rings, gold  breast-pin,  an'  a  great,  big  silk  handkercher,  as 
yaller  as  gold ;  an'  says  Bill,  says  he  tow  me, 

"  *  Dijah,  I've  been  spcculatin',  an'  I've  diskivered  there's 
plenty  o'  money  in  the  world,  an'  there's  no  use  in  a  man's 
bein'  poor,  ef  he'll  only  use  the  means  Providence  gin  him. 
I'm  a  nigger  buyer.  I  makes  a  respectaUe  livin',  an'  so  may 
you.  All  you  got  to  do,  is  to  sell  off  the  stock  you  have  on 
hand.' 

"  I  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  that. 

"lie  laughed,  and  said,  'Ah,  Dijah,  you're  a  little  green, 
yit,  a  little  green.  I  mean,  man,  sell  off  them  are  boys  o' 
yourn,  an'  that  are  gal ;  fetch  a  good  price,  Dijah,  a  good 
price.' 

"  I  was  as  mad  as  a  March  hare,  an'  I  told  him  he'd  better 
quit  talkin'  to  me  in  that  are  style.  But  one  day  he  comed 
in  here,  —  Sally  sat  smokin',  the  children  was  cryin'  for  por- 
ridge, an'  there  warnt  the  matter  of  a  spoonful  to  eat  in  the 
huss,  no  fire,  and  nothin'  to  buy  whizkey  with.  Bill  knowd 
he  must  strike  when  the  iron  was  hot,  an'  so  he  begun  countin' 
out  the  dollars  for  Charley.  '  I  must  have  that  boy,'  said  he, 
•  I'll  give  you  fifty  dollars  for  him.' 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  133 


"  I  never  'd  seed  so  much  money  afore,  an'  I  was  amose 
crazy,  I  was  so  hungry,  an'  so  I  told  him  he  miglit  have  him. 
Charley  wanted  tow  stay,  a  dreadful  sight,  hut  it  was  no  use 
tryin'  to  keep  him,  an'  starve  to  death  in  the  cold." 

''  I  telld  Dijah  I  shouldn't  wonder  ef  he'd  be  better  off," 
said  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  Sakes  alive  !  I  hopes  he  is,"  said  Mr.  Gray ;  I'm  'spectin' 
we'll  be  'bleeged  to  sell  Tommy  an'  Netty  yit." 

"  0,  horrible  !  sell  your  own  children  !  "  exclaimed  Ruth, 
and  the  little,  dwarfish  things  came  and  stood  close  by  Ruth, 
and,  gently  taking  hold  of  her  hands,  looked  upon  her  so 
beseechingly,  as  they  said, 

"  You  don't  wanter  have  us  selld,  do  you,  lady  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  dear  little  boy,"  replied  she,  the  tears  coming 
into  her  eyes,  "  I  hope  you  and  your  little  sister  will  never 
be  sold." 

"I  wanter  see  Charley  all  the  time,"  said  little  Netty, 
"  won't  he  never  come  back  ?  " 

"  Hold  yer  tongue,  you  little  fool!  "  exclaimed  the  motner, 
angrily,  "  we  don't  want  not  anither  word  said  'bout  it  by 
anybody." 

"  So,  so,  daughter,"  said  Madam  Regina,  as  the  former 
returned  to  her  room,  "  so  we  get  it  on  all  sides ;  we  are  to 
shoulder  the  blame  of  these  poor  wretches'  degradation,  are 
we  ?  I  make  sure,  I  do  not  know  what  we  are  coming  to, 
—  such  a  confused  state  the  world  has  got  into.  These  poor 
people  seem  to  be  the  broken  arm  and  disjointed  ankle  of 
12 


134  COUSIN     FKANCK's     nOUSEHOLD. 

society ;  they  ai-e  plainly  a  class  that  do  not  exist  in  a  sound 
body  politic ;  and  while  we  feel  pained  at  then*  miserable 
condition,  we  cannot  avoid  bewailing  the  accident  that  has 
brought  them  into  it,  —  in  my  opinion,  as  things  are,  it  would 
be  better  for  them  to  become  slaves." 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    IX. 

A     DISCOVERT. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Jan.  7,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  "Wearily  enough  passed  the  hours  of  our  first 
night  of  watching  with  Madam  Regina.  She  was  in  a  de- 
plorably suffering  condition,  aside  from  the  pain  she  endured, 
being  extremely  nervous,  and  afraid  some  more  dreadful  evil 
was  about  to  happen.  "These  poor  wretches,"  she  reasoned, 
"  are  so  destitute  that  they  have  sold  one  of  their  children ; 
and  when  people  get  to  that  pitch  of  desperation,  what  is 
there  that  they  will  not  do  ?  Stealing  and  murder  are  small 
crimes  compared  with  this." 

We  endeavored,  by  being  ourselves  cool  and  self-possessed, 
to  allay  her  fears  all  we  could,  but  so  great  had  been  her 
sufferings,  that  she  had  no  more  fortitude  than  a  child.  Of 
the  numerous  little  attentions  demanded  by  the  comfort  or 
the  notions  of  the  sleepless  sufferer,  the  most  frequently  re- 
peated was,  to  look  through  the  window  niche  for  some  indi- 
cations of  the  morning.  This  duty  was  imposed  as  often 
before  midnight  as  after,  for  Regina's  gold  repeater  was 
stowed  for  safe  keeping  in  the  bottom  of  her  trunk. 

How  forcible  seemed  the  words,  "more  tlian  they  that 


136  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

watch  for  the  morning,"  when,  at  length,  a  few  beams  astir, 
enabled  me  to  return  a  more  favorable  report ! 

"  Now",  girls,  if  you  only  had  some  good  religious  tracts 
and  books,"  said  Mrs.  Camei'on  to  us  when  it  was  day,  anx- 
ious for  us  to  exchange  the  smoky  hut  for  the  open  air,  "  you 
might  turn  tract  distributors  in  earnest.  A  visit  from  hut  to 
hut,  besides  furnishing  you  exercise  and  amusement,  might 
do  a  great  deal  of  good  to  these  wi-etched  creatures." 

"  But,  mother,"  said  Ruth,  "  I  do  not  suppose  that  there  is 
an  individual  belonging  to  the  place  that  can  read  a  word." 

"  Ah,  indeed,  that  did  not  occur  to  me,"  replied  the  mother ; 
"  well,  very  probably  there  isn't ;  books  would  be  of  no  pos- 
sible use,  then,  I  am  sorry  for  it ;  but  you  and  Pocahontas 
must  manage  to  get  up  some  amusement  out  of  doors,  or  you 
will  be  down  sick." 

"  Suppose  we  turn  Sisters  of  Charity,  to-day,"  suggested 
Ruth.  "A  good  idea,  daughter,"  replied  Madam  Regina, 
"  and  you  may  meanwhile  be  learning  some  lessons  of  prac- 
tical wisdom,  —  for  instance,  that  slavery  is  not  the  worst 
condition  poverty  can  assume." 

About  nine  o'clock  we  sallied  out  for  our  walk,  each  of  us 
with  a  basket  of  crackers  and  cakes  on  our  arm.  No  one 
seemed  to  be  stirring  in  the  cabins,  —  indeed,  tlie  poor  people 
had  nothing  to  get  up  for,  and  doubtless  thought  early  rising 
in  cold  weather  an  expense  they  could  illy  afford.  We  had 
walked  a  half  hour  or  so,  and  were  returning  to  the  cabins, 
when  we  met  a  little  boy  and  girl,  each  with  an  armful  of 
sticks.     The  little  girl  was  blind  of  one  eye,  and  the  boy 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  137 


Asjis  quite  hxme.  Their  clothes  barely  hung  on  them  in  loose 
tatters,  and  their  little,  bare  feet  and  hands  were  purple  witli 
cold ;  altogether  they  looked  so  needy,  forlorn  and  liungry, 
that  the  sight  of  them  must  have  made  the  hardest  heart 
ache. 

"  Is  you  got  any  cakes  ?  "  said  the  little  girl,  with  an  im- 
ploring look  and  tone.  "  Is  you  ?  "  echoed  the  boy,  before 
we  could  get  out  an  ansAver. 

"  Yes,  we  have  got  some  cakes,  and  we  are  going  to  give 
you  some  to  eat  with  your  breakfast,"  and  the  sad  eyes  fixed 
on  us  grew  bright.     "  Where  do  you  live  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  Eightch  'ere,  in  mam's  huss,"  replied  the  boy,  and  by 
stooping  we  entered  the  Ioav  doorway.  The  little,  dim 
dwelling  was  so  divided  that  the  one  door  led  into  its  two 
apartments,  the  partition  approaching  the  middle  of  the  en- 
trance. One  room  was  for  the  family,  and  the  other  was  the 
"  cuppen,"  or  cow-pen,  being  the  place  where  a  pair  of  dwarf 
cattle  were  housed  for  the  winter.  Half  a  dozen  families 
held  stock  in  these  half-starved  beasts,  and  depended  on  them 
for  their  ploughing  in  the  warm  season.  A  sorrowful,  mild 
woman  came  to  meet  us,  with  a  look  of  diffident  surprise. 
She  was  small  and  frail,  with  stooping  shoulders,  but  was 
still  in  her  youth  as  regarded  years. 

"  0,  mam ! "  said  Joey,  the  boy,  "  dey's  gwine  done  gin  us 
some  cakes ! "  The  mother,  saying,  "  0,  hush,  Joey,"  handed 
the  only  two  chairs  the  room  afforded.  She  soon  learned 
from  us  that  we  were  friends,  and  then  the  poor  woman 
poured  out  her  full  talc  of  sorrow^  into  our  listening  ears,  a« 
12* 


1^ 


138  COUSIN     fran'ck's     holseuold. 


if  we  were  indeed  her  sisters.  Naturally  mUd,  timid  and 
loving,  her  heart  had  been  crushed  by  the  circumstances  of 
her  condition. 

"And  your  little  girl,"  we  inquired,  "how  comes  it  she  is 
blind  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you,  ladies,  ye  shall  know  it  all.  One  of  my 
neebors  had  her  little  girl  kidnapped  and  sold  off  to  the 
trader,  an'  with  all  my  sorrow  an'  starvin'  I  couldn't  stand 
that  no  ways,  an'  so  I  put  her  eye  out !  I  did ! "  and  the  poor 
thing's  voice  choked  in  the  recital,  with  the  thought  of  the 
horrid  deed.  "  And  I  made  Joey  lame,  too,"  she  added,  after 
a  pause,  "  that  nobody  should  ever  want  to  make  him  a 
slave." 

Another,  another,  and  yet  another  hut  of  misery  too  pro- 
found to  be  sketched,  we  visited,  and  then  came  to  a  dwelling 
that  evidently  had  some  pretensions  to  comfort  and  even 
taste.  It  was  built  of  logs,  but  they  were  covered  with  ivy, 
and  in  summer  time  it  must  have  been  really  pretty,  for 
there  were  traces  of  other  climbing  plants  on  its  sides. 
"Within  there  was  an  air  of  neatness  and  thrift,  that  strangely 
contrasted  with  the  liuts  we  had  left.  The  walls  were  kept 
neat  and  clean  with  a  washing  of  powdered  stone,  which  had 
almost  the  effect  of  whitewash.  Festoons  of  bright  autumn 
leaves,  mingled  with  evergreens,  were  hung  on  the  walls, 
and  about  tlie  niche  windows,  and  had  a  peculiarly  cheerful 
and  enlivening  effect.  Tlie  floor  was  earthen,  like  the  rest 
of  the  huts,  but  was  almost  entirely  hidden  by  mats  curiously 
woven  of  corn  Im.'-ks.     The  vounnr  woman  that  came  to  the 


^ 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  139 

door  to  receive  us,  was  as  neat  and  tasteful  in  her  plain  tunic 
and  short  dress,  as  were  the  indications  of  her  housekeeping. 
Her  eyes  were  mild,  serious  and  blue,  her  hair  brown,  glossy, 
and  disposed  to  ringlets ;  she  was  erect  and  perfect  in  figure, 
and  had  a  something  about  her  whole  manner  so  superior  to 
the  specimens  of  the  human  race  we  hud  recently  met,  that 
we  could  not  think  she  rightly  belonged  to  the  settlement. 
In  one  corner,  supported  by  a  bed  made  of  mats  and  pillows, 
sat  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  her  husband.  He  was  a  cripple, 
and,  like  the  woman,  appeared  more  sprightly,  hopeful  and 
intellectual  than  any  persons  we  had  found  in  the  place.  In 
the  course  of  our  conversation,  Ave  mentioned  the  cause  of  our 
visit,  and  the  hope  we  had  of  doing  the  poor  people  some  good. 

"  It'll  be  hard  doin'  the  people  here  much  good,  thex-e  is  so 
little  honest  work  for  'em  to  do,"  said  the  man,  whose  name 
was  Robert ;  "  Fanny  an'  I  gits  along  better  than  most  of 
'era ;  I  weaves  mats  an'  ties  seins,  and  Fanny  is  a  witch 
with  the  needle,  but  we  want  raised  here,"  and  I  saw  tlje 
large  blue  eyes  of  the  wife  cast  on  the  husband,  as  if  in 
rej^roof  for  the  last  statement.  Before  leaving,  I  carelessly 
said  to  Ruth,  that  it  was  time  for  us  to  return  and  take  our 
places  with  Selma.  At  the  name  of  Selma,  the  young  wo- 
man looked  up  with  an  expression  of  intense  inquisitiveness, 
and  said,  "  Selma,  who  is  Selma  ?  " 

"  Selma  is  our  nurse,"  replied  Ruth. 

"Ah,  is  she?"  exclaimed  the  young  woman,  with  an  air 
of  surprise,  and  with  agitation  which  she  evidently  tried  to 
conceal. 


140  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

Altliougli  we  were  perplexed,  we  did  not  attempt  to  force 
an  explanation.  As  wc  arose  to  take  leave,  however,  she 
said  to  Ruth,  "  "Will  jou  let  Selma  come  and  see  me  ? " 
Ruth  replied  that  she  should  come  that  very  day. 

On  our  way  home  to  dinner,  as  we  chatted  about  the 
thrilling  and  curious  sights  we  had  seen,  we  agreed  that 
Robert  and  Fanny  were  the  most  interesting  and  unaccount- 
able persons  we  had  met,  and  we  longed  to  learn  how  they 
came  to  sojourn  among  a  people  whose  superiors  they  were 
in  so  great  a  degree.  As  soon  as  we  reached  Madam  Re- 
gina's  room,  we  insisted  that  Selma  should  take  the  air, 
although  her  mistress  thought  it  quite  superfluous,  alleging 
that  persons  of  her  condition  in  life  feel  no  sort  of  incon- 
venience from  close  confinement.  But  Ruth  had  a  winning 
way  of  saying,  "  Please,  mother,  let  her  go  for  my  sake ! " 
and  without  more  ado  the  good  lady  gave  her  consent. 

I  followed  Selma  out,  and  as  we  walked  along  towards 
IJobert's  cabin,  I  told  her  that  the  young  woman  Fanny  had 
requested  her  to  come  and  see  her.  I  then  gave  some  little 
description  of  her  husband  and  dwelling.  Selma  thought  it 
very  strange  that  she  should  be  sent  for,  and  was  evidently 
excited  by  the  incident. 

"  I  have  brought  Selma  to  see  you,"  said  I,  as  we  entered 
the  cabin. 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Fanny,  coming  forward  to  take 
Selma's  hand.  Then,  the  two  having  looked  at  each  other 
with  a  searching  gaze,  Selma,  in  a  voice  choked  with  tender- 
ness, and  eyes  suffused  with  tears,  exclaimed, 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  141 

"  I  know  thee  by  my  mother  Milly's  eyes — Fayett !  " 

"Yes,  yes!"  replied  the  young  woman,  "and  thou  art 
Selma ; "  and  the  happy  creature  threw  her  arms  about  Sel- 
nia's  neck,  and  the  two  wept  mingled  tears  of  joy  and  grief. 
The  thoughts  of  years  were  in  those  jiassionate  emotions ; 
and,  feeling  like  an  intruder,  I  quietly  withdrew. 

Ruth  was  acquainted  with  Selma's  history,  as  well  as  my- 
self, and  as  soon  as  possible  I  managed  to  let  her  know  that 
the  Fanny  we  had  met  in  the  morning  was  Fayett.  Every- 
thing now  depended  on  j3ursuing  a  prudent  course  ;  for  if 
Mrs.  Cameron  should  learn  of  the  whereabouts  of  one  of  her 
ftither's  slaves  lost  twenty  years  before,  she  would  doubtless 
think  it  duty  to  take  measures  to  secure  such  an  one  with  the 
chain  of  bondage-. 

The  conversation  happening  to  turn  on  money  matters, 
cousin  Regina  spoke  of  some  planter  in  the  neighborhood 
who  had  owed  her  father  several  hundred  dollars,  but  as  the 
interest  exceeded  the  principal  before  the  debt  was  collected, 
it  was  outlawed  and  lost. 

"  Well,  mamma,"  said  Ruth,  "  it  is  a  common  saying 
among  us  that  slaves  owe  labor  when  they  run  away  from 
their  masters;  if  they  owe  labor,  that  is  a  debt,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Daughter,"  replied  Mrs.  Cameron,  "  use  the  term  ser- 
vant, instead  of  slave,  —  it  is  far  more  correct  and  genteel; 
indeed,  it  is  the  only  term  ever  used  in  polished  society.  I 
reply  to  your  question,  that  labor  due  constitutes  a  debt,  of 
course." 

Then  why  should  not  this  kind  of  debt  be  outlawed  at  the 


142  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

expiration  of  a  certain  number  of  years,  as  well  as  the  other  ?" 
asked  Ruth. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  replied  the  mother,  "  what  a  childish  ques- 
tion !  Our  legislators  were  wise  men,  and  they,  doubtless, 
had  good  reasons  for  framing  laws  as  they  did.  If  servants 
could  outlaw  the  debt  they  owe  to  their  masters  after  an  ab- 
sence of  seventeen  years,  or  so,  why,  that  would  be  paying 
them  a  pretty  handsome  premium  on  their  running  away  and 
on  their  successful  concealment.  Most  servants  would  be  in- 
clined to  play  the  game,  and  we  owners  of  peoi^le  would 
quickly  be  aground  high  and  dry,  with  nobody  to  work  the 
ship  for  us.  A  servant  once,  a  servant  forever,  must  be  our 
maxim,  or  we  help  pull  down  our  domestic  fabric." 

It  was  evident,  from  this  conversation  that  Madam  Regina 
was  well  posted  up  in  all  those  theoretical  and  practical  de- 
tails which  promoted  the  perpetuity  of  slavery. 

When  Selma  returned,  the  traces  of  tears  were  plainly  to 
be  seen,  and  glad  were  we  that  the  dimly  lighted  room  hid 
them  from  our  eagle-eyed  mistress. 

Our  next  visit  to  the  huts  included  a  call  at  the  famous 
whiskey  hut  of  Grilsa  Gi'iffin.  It  was  formerly  kept  by  one 
Siah  Tumpkins,  who,  having  burnt  himself  up  with  his  own 
liquor,  Avas  succeeded  in  the  emoluments  of  the  stand  by  his 
cousin  Grilsa. 

Picture  to  yourself  a  low,  dark-looking  log  cabin,  a  passa- 
ble pig-pen,  with  a  whiskey  barrel  in  the  centre  of  the  room, 
on  which  sat  Grilsa  Griffin  enthroned,  when  not  busy  in  wait- 
ing on  her  customers.     A  mat  of  coarse,  gray  hair,  in  which 


COUSIN    fuanck's    houseuold.  143 

the  process  of  tangling  and  intertangling  had  been  going  on, 
without  let  or  hindrance,  for  years,  crowned  the  old  hag,  as 
with  a  most  hideous  turban.  Her  face  was  long,  with  high 
cheek  bones,  and  scars  and  wrinkles  seemed  to  rival  each 
other  in  disfiguring  her  tawny  skin.  Her  eyes  were  small, 
gray  and  piercing ;  her  flat  and  upturned  nose  formed  no  very 
agreeable  feature ;  and  in  her  faded  linsey  woolsey  dress,  and 
dingy  apron,  she  presided  Hke  an  evil  genius  astride  the  liquid 
poison.  Had  we  not  been  armed  with  gifts  of  crackers  and 
cakes,  we  certainly  should  have  turned  back  from  so  misera- 
ble a  groggery.  As  we  entered,  Grilsa  was  jingling  coppers 
in  her  deep  pocket  with  one  hand,  and  seemingly  chuckling 
to  herself  with  a  grim  satisfaction.  She  looked  down  on  us 
with  brazen  self-assurance,  the  startling  reverse  of  the  cower- 
ing manner  of  the  people  generally. 

"  Come  ter  trade,  has  ye  ?  What  truck  yer  got  there  ? " 
she  interrogated,  in  a  harsh,  loud  voice,  at  the  same  time  get- 
ting off  the  barrel,  and  reaching  out  her  long,  wiry  arm 
towards  the  basket. 

"  "We  came  in  to  give  you  some  crackers  and  cakes,"  re- 
plied Ruth. 

"  Wal,  that  ar  is  quar ;  niver  had  a  thing  gin  me  afore ! 
but  ye'll  take  a  swig  o'  whiskey  for't,  won't  ye  ?  "  When 
we  told  her  we  did  not  want  any,  she  rolled  up  her  eyes  in 
great  astonishment. 

"Ye's  quar,  ye  is  mighty  quar.  I  reckons  ye's  them  ar 
ladies  as  is  stayin'  ter  Dijah  Gray's."  We  replied  in  the  af- 
firmative.    "  Sakes  alive  ! "  she  continued,  "  how  fortina^e  ! 


144  COUSIN    franck's    uousehold. 


I's  a  piece  o'  news  to  telld  ye.  I  mought  as  well  gin  the  in- 
formation and  pocket  the  pay  ;  one  o'  my  nabors  here  uster 
be  a  slave,  an'  is  a  sorter  sister  to  your  Shelmy ;  she  uster 
be  your  slave,  I  reckons." 

lluth  asked  her  what  made  her  think  so. 

"  W^Jj  yer  seed,  when  I  observed  yer  sarvint  gwine  by 
here,  I  jist  sint  my  Pol  arter  her  tew  see  what  she  did ;  Pol 
is  a  staver  at  liuntin'  out  a  body's  consams ;  so  she  hides  be- 
hind the  door  and  liars  all  they  say,  an'  comes  right  back  an' 
tells  me  on't,  an'  I  'spect  I'd  better  seed  the  mistress  hersef, 
an'  git  my  toll  for  findin'  a  slave." 

We  knew  not  what  to  say,  and  after  changing  the  conver- 
sation, and  giving  her  some  cakes  and  crackers,  left.  Of 
course  it  would  be  of  no  use  for  us  to  try  to  persuade  her  not 
to  say  anything  about  the  discovery  she  had  made,  for  her 
tongue  was  bound  to  run,  when  it  had  an  exciting  theme. 
We  returned  home  in  no  very  enviable  state  of  mind,  and,  as 
we  feared,  before  the  day  was  done,  Gi'ilsa  herself  forced  her 
way  into  Madam  Regina's  room,  to  collect  her  fee.  And 
there,  as  you  may  suppose,  was  a  scene  for  a  limner ;  — 
Madam  Regina  became  extremely  excited,  and  we  coaxed 
the  old  hag  away  as  soon  as  possible,  in  feverish  fear  of  the 
results  of  her  visit. 

Adieu, 

POOAHONTAai 


m 


LETTER    X. 

THE     ESCAPE ROSALIE     IN     TROUBLE. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Jan.  8,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Although  we  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of  Grilsa 
Griffin,  yet  we  found  it  quite  another  thing  to  undo  tie  re- 
sult of  her  errand. 

"  I  protest,  girls,"  at  length  said  Madam  Regina,  warmly, 
"  that  hideous  object's  story  looks  plausible,  and  had  I  the  use 
of  my  feet,  I  would  know  all  about  it  directly.  How  I  do 
wish  Mr.  Cameron  was  here!  Here,  Selma,  come  to  me;  I 
wish  to  hear  your  account  of  this  affair.  I  know  you  are 
veracity  itself,  and  of  course  will  deal  truly  with  me.  Have 
you  seen  Fayett  ?     Is  she  in  this  place  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Madam,"  replied  Selma,  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  And  Ruth  and  Pocahontas  were  knowing  to  the  fact,"^ 
said  the  lady,  much  excited;  "I  would  not  have  belitved  it! 
How  could  you,  girls,  take  advantage  of  my  weak,  defence- 
less condition,  and  literally  attempt  to  rob  me  in  this  man- 
ner ?  "  and  the  poor  lady  wept. 

"0,  mamma,"  exclaimed  Ruth,  "what  can  you  mean? 
How  can  you  thus  afflict  yourself  ?  " 

"Afflict  myself,  indeed!  just  look  at  it,  —  here  I  am,  per- 
fectly helpless,  and  you  hear  of  the  whereabouts  of  property 
13 


146  cousix    iuanck's    household. 

which  belonged  to  your  grandfather's  estate,  of  which  I  am 
the  rightful  heir,  and  you  seek  to  keep  me  in  ignorance  of  the 
very  existence  of  such  property,  that  I  may  be  perfectly  sure 
to  lose  it.  Think  of  the  enormity  of  such  conduct,  my 
daughter.  You  did  not  intend  it,  perhaps,  but  it  is  neither 
more  nor  less  than  downright  swindling ;  it  is,  indeed." 

"  O,  mamma,  please  do  not  look  at  it  in  that  light ;  we  will 
do  anything  you  bid  us  that  conscience  will  permit." 

"  Conscience,  indeed ! "  replied  the  mother,  wiping  her 
eyes ;  "  I  should  make  sure  you  had  neither  of  you  a  particle 
of  that  faculty,  were  you  not  such  paragons  of  perfection  iii 
everything  else.  And  I  do  think,  Ruth,  you  are  more  to  be 
blamed  than  Pocahontas.  You  have  had  the  advantage  of 
an  enlightened  bringing  up,  as  it  regards  this  question  of 
property  in  servants.  It  is  not  so  much  to  be  wondered  at 
that  Pocahontas  should  now  and  then  mistake  what  is  prop- 
erty and  what  is  not  property,  brought  up  as  she  has  been  at  (Ik; 
North  ;  but  you,  Ruth,  have  had  the  tiling  defined  to  you  from 
your  earliest  consciousness,  and  you  sin  against  great  light." 

"  Mamma,"  replied  Ruth,  "  it  seems  to  me  the  damjer  of 
sinning  is  all  on  the  other  side  of  the  question." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  make  sure  you  think  so.  O,  why  is  it  that  a 
daughter  of  mine  should  drink  in  such  fanatical  sentiments  ? 
Daughter,  you  reverence  the  Bible  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mamma,  I  trust  I  do,"  replied  Ruth. 

"Well,  then,  let  me  convince  you  by  that  holy  book,"  con- 
tinued tlic  mother,  "  I  can  have  no  moral  right  to  waste  my 
property,  for  we    are   expressly  commanded    by   Ilim   wJio 


«^ 


COUSIN    fuanck's    household.  147 


spake  as  never  man  spake,  to  *  gather  up  the  fragments  that 
nothing  be  lost.'  Now,  Fayett  is  my  property,  worth  some 
one  thousand  dollars ;  if  I  neglect  to  secure  her,  or  '  gather 
her  up,'  she,  though  quite  a  fragment  of  a  fortune,  is  lost,  ut- 
terly lost  and  wasted.  What  right  can  I  have  thus  to  trifle 
with  and  despise  the  good  gifts  of  God's  bounty  ?  How  can 
I  render  my  account  as  a  faithful  steward,  or  expect  tlie 
plaudit  *  well  done  '  to  be  awarded  to  me  at  last  ?  " 

"  I  fear,  dear  mamma,  that  you  cannot,  if  you  continue  in 
slaveholding,"  gently  said  Ruth. 

"  O,  fie,  daughter !  am  I  not  treading  in  the  same  path  in 
this  matter  that  thousands  on  thousands  of  good  Christian 
people  have  trod  and  are  treading ;  how  can  you  indulge  so 
unworthy  a  thought  ?  " 

"  Mamma,"  replied  Ruth,  "  it  does  seem  a  clear  case  to  me, 
that  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  are  all  against  slavery." 

"  Nonsense,  child !  it  is  from  the  Bible  we  establish  the 
divine  right  of  slavery.  Hark !  I  hear  a  carriage ;  run, 
Ruth,  see  if  your  father  has  not  come." 

Ruth  caught  her  bonnet  and  shawl,  and  went  to  the  door, 
and  in  a  moment  more  cousin  Franck  bustled  in,  and  went 
through  with  an  affecting  meeting  with  his  wife. 

"  Such  luck,  such  luck,  Mrs.  Cameron ! "  at  length  he 
ejaculated,  "  what  are  we  to  do  ?  Spend  the  winter  in  these 
miserable  quarters?  "We're  cornered  at  every  turn;  and 
then  our  friend,  the  Doctor,  thinks  himself  the  most  unfor- 
tunate man  alive.  Here  is  a  letter  he  has  just  received  from 
Cutis,  full  of  dolorosities       Pocahontas,"  he  added,  with  a 


148  COUSIN      FRANCK's     IIOUSEnOLD. 


droll  smile,  "  you  may  read  it  aloud,  if  you  can  make  it  out." 
The  soiled  and  crumpled  document  read  thus : 

"  dere  doctor,  i  Taks  mi  pen  in  Hand  tew  inform  yew  ime 
alive  an  Wei  an  hopes  yew  Injouys  thee  sam  blesin.  i  be- 
ginns  this  ere  letur  acordin  ter  Rule,  but  i  Aint  a  Mite  wel 
nuther — ive  kotched  a  blarsted  hard  Kold,  an  I  cowf  an 
"Wheiz  awl  the  tyme  an  Evry  boan  in  me  Aikes  fit  tew  kil. 
Naiou  I  spoze  yewl  wanter  no  whats  thee  nuse.  ime  in  a 
curis  piccle  an  kno  mistak  ime  shot  up  in  hartlund  Kourt 
howse  jale  Acused  of  bein  a  Runaway  Salve  !  i  tells  em  ime 
kumel  Cutts  rokesby  overser  but  thair  wont  knoboddy  bleeve 
a  word  I  sa.  the  galer  is  crosser  thun  a  Pak  ov  mad  dogs 
an  ime  enny  gist  ded. 

Yew  ce  Wen  we  got  about  haf  wa  tew  fredrikr^burg  the 
houns  kinder  got  on  the  Cent  on  anuthcr  rode  an  we  rid  arter 
em  like  smok  fore  hours,  but  Sikcs  he  gin  aout.  he  sod  i 
waz  sich  a  Teem  miSelf  he  want  knedid  an  putty  quick  them 
air  dogs  got  on  the  Cent  shur  enuf  an  we  follered  em  belter 
skelltur  threw  the  feels  an  over  Phensis  brighurs  an  bushes. 
Wal  Blossum  an  i  kriskrossed  an  pambulatid  about  thair  till 
enny  gist  Nite.  twaz  aufull  Kold  an  Avcde  splashed  rite 
Threw  thee  kreek  lickety  split  an  anur  kotes  an  Trowsiz  waz 
friz  stiff  enny  gi^t.  but  we  ealkalutid  Ave  shud  katch  the 
Gaim  in  leetle  les  thun  kno  tyme  so  we  grincd  and  bared  it. 
but  i  bleeve  mi  Sole  we  shud  awl  perrished  efft  hadent  bin 
fur  them  air  branda  Bottuls  as  Avaz  in  aour  pokkits.  we 
hadtur  tak  a  home  evroy  fiic  niinitts  tew  k(>po  aour  Kurraje 


COUSIN    franck's    uol'si:uox-d.  149 


up  tew  Thee  Stikin  pint,  az  Thee  sain  iz.  Wal  we  got  tew 
a  playse  Aside  the  kreck  whair  twaz  kinder  "Woodsy  an  the 
iverGreens  maid  it  kold  az  Grinland  an  we  hadtur  drink  a 
putty  stif  home  tew  keep  frum  freezin  an  the  houns  Gott  a 
leetle  mite  a  Head  an  arter  a  spel  they  yelped  yelped  so  we 
New  they  cum  up  with  the  Inimy,  an  Korkin  up  aour  bottuls 
an  Spurin  up  aour  hossis  we  Kantcred  rite  up  To  em  stavety 
cut,  like  a  how^se  afire,  an  sez  i  wheu  u !  wheu  u !  kurnel 
Cutts  an  doun  with  the  Nigger  Ribils ! 

but  a  Four  i  new  it  i  waz  poked  Of  mi  hoss  in  konsiderble 
of  a  Hurra  an  thair  I  waz  kurnel  Cutts  on  Mi  bak  an  han- 
hybal  a  houldin  me  doun  meditatin  Reving,  an  sez  I  dont  kil 
me  hannybal  dont  brew  yewr  bans  in  mi  blud.  i  never 
harmd  A  hare  ov  yewer  bed  awl  iz,  ise  abayin  the  laws  ov 
Mi  koimtra  ise  only  sarvin  the  Konstytushun  an  prasarvin 
the  Unyon.  ye  Ce  i  waz  A  leetle  mite  sli  an  tanked  blarny 
tew  gane  time  till  Thee  Dogs  rekivcred  an  kum  up  when  i 
ment  tew  Riz  an  throttel  the  Skamp.  but  the  dogs  waz  as 
Stil  az  mise  an  sez  i  whairs  them  Air  dogs  ?  an  sez  Blossom 
whoe  Rafe  had  tide  tort  tew  a  tre  klose  Bi,  sez  he  thayse  az 
ded  az  nits,  then  i  thort  wede  got  tew  di  fort  an  it  Maid  me 
az  Week  az  warter  an  i  boowooed  rite  aout  for  i  waz  num 
with  kold  an  mi  bans  waz  tide,  an  sez  i  naiou  You  wont  kil 
me  will  yew  Hannybal  an  sez  he  no  Eff  yewl  kepe  stil  but 
Eff  yew  tri  Tew  scape  yewr  A  ded  man,  an  he  pinted  tew 
mi  pisttuls  in  his  belt.  Arter  a  spel  thay  tide  us  On  Thee 
hossis  an  tuk  us  Tew  an  ole  emptee  kabin  whair  The  hog 
tendur  hved  in  summer,  twaz  only  a  leetle  wais  Of  in  thee 
13* 


150  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

woods,  thay  maid  a  fire  an  dride  aour  kloths  an  then  thee 
Raskuls  maid  us  Swap  suits  won  at  a  time  so  we  coudent 
help  urselvs.  twaz  a  whappin  Sham  but  we  hadtur  submyt 
ur  di.  Ilowd  yew  spoze  i  felt,  kurnel  Cults  drest  up  in  a 
niggers  ole  duds !  then  Thay  begun  Tew  hete  iurns,  an  Sez  i 
whaot  naou  ?  yew  gwine  tew  kil  us  Arter  awl !  an  thay 
toald  me  Tew  be  dun,  an  rite  awa  thay  frized  an  curld  aour 
hare  tew  make  it  nigiy  an  then  Thay  smooched  us  blakern 
nite  with  birch  bark  an  pine  Nots  haf  burnt  an  put  aout. 
Sakes  alive  we  dint  No  One  nuther  fi-um  niggers, 
then  thay  mounted  the  hossis  an  brot  us  to  this  ere  kourt 
Ilowse  jale  a  Fore  mornin.  aour  mouths  waz  gagged  so  we 
cuddent  xsplane  a  wurd  an  The  galer  arter  he  was  rousted  he 
tucked  Us  intew  this  Ere  niggers  hole  higglcdy  piggledy  an 
ime  bound  tew  Sa  A  narstycr  playse  aint  tew  Be  faound. 
the  mud  an  filth  is  kne  deep  So  ter  speak  an  taint  Fit  fur 
ainy  human  krittur.  we  haint  no  chans  tCAV  Wash  an  the 
galer  thinks  wese  niggers  shur  enuf  kase  wese  Ser  blak. 
help  me  aout  rite  of,  dcAv  doctur,  ur  i  shall  be  dun  fur  this 
■ere  wurld.  dont  git  notliin  tew  eat  But  corn  Bred  an  Warter, 
an  mi  eowf  Is  tariu  rae  awl  Tew  peeses. 

The  galer  soz  i  haint  no  Grate  shakes,  he  fez  Ime  master 
aleing  an  Aigery  an  he  shall  sell  me  in  A  weak  t'>w  pay  mi 
jale  fese.  i  wist  i  was  saf  b:ik  tew  rokesby  I  dew  this  ere  Is 
a  losin  bizniss.  Dew  cum  arter  me  tew  wonst  dere  doctur, 
an  ile  dew  az  mucli  fur  yew  The  fust  time  i  gits  A  chans. 
Sarvant  Sir, 

Calep.  Cltt?  overseer." 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  151 

Notwithstanding  our  pity  for  the  Colonel's  sad  plight,  Ave 
could  not  avoid  a  laugh  at  some  of  the  comical  features  of  his 
recital.  Cousin  Franok,  as  soon  as  he  could  articulate,  said 
that  he  brought  the  letter  along  to  extinguish  the  blues,  and 
he  considered  it  a  beautiful  specimen  of  Yankee  literature. 
Selma  laughed  and  cried  alternately,  and  Mrs.  Cameron 
seemed  for  the  time  to  have  forgotten  her  trials  respecting 
the  discovery  of  the  lost  property.  She  at  length  bethought 
herself,  however,  and  with  all  the  pathos  of  an  aggrieved 
woman,  gave  her  husband  an  extended  account  of  the  dis- 
closures of  the  day  relating  to  Fayett. 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  Is  it  possible  ?  "  he  every  now  and  then 
uttered,  and  when  she  had  completed  her  history,  he  added, 
turning  to  me  with  an  assumed  gravity  and  air  of  authority, 

"  That  was  most  reprehensible  in  you  and  Ruth,  coz,  that 
mischievous  deed  of  holding  your  tongues  on  a  subject  which 
ought  to  have  been  made  known;  —  but  where  is  Ruth?" 
And  now,  for  the  first  time  since  the  arrival  of  cousin  Franck, 
was  her  absence  noticed. 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know,"  replied  IMadam  Regina ;  '•  per- 
haps she  is  sitting  in  the  next  room  with  Dijah  Gray's  family. 
Selma,  go  and  see,"  —  and  in  a  moment  Selma  returned,  say- 
ing she  was  not  there.  Mrs.  Gray's  head  was  in  the  door  in 
a  twinkling. 

"  Bless  yer,"  she  exclaimed,  "  yer  Miss  Ruth's  done  gone 
ter  hum  I  reckons,  —  she  went  oiFin  the  shay." 

"  Went  off  in  the  carriage  ! "  replied  cousin  Franck,  spring- 
ing to  his  fecfe,  "  Bless  my  soul  and  body !  and  that  was  two 


152  COUSIN    fuan'ck's    household. 

hours  or  more  ago.  She's  gone  mad,  'pon  my  word ! 
Wliat's  to  be  done  ?     What's  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  Run,  run,  dear ;  go  right  after  her  at  once  !  "  exclaimed 
Madam  Regina,  greatly  excited. 

"  /  go  after  her  !  "  rejilied  cousin  Franck,  "  impossible  ! 
I've  no  horse  here,  and  you  forget  my  thin  boots ;  I  cannot 
set  foot  out  of  doors  without  taking  my  death  of  cold." 

"  Dijah,  he'll  go,  I  reckons,"  said  Sally  Gray;  —  "Come, 
Dijah,"  she  said,  as  she  went  to  her  own  room,  "  you  be  spry, 
rig  up,  an'  be  stirrin'  arter  that  are  gal." 

"  I  can't,  an'  I  won't,  so  there,  Sal,"  he  replied,  in  a  dis- 
pirited and  dogged  tone. 

"  You  ken  go  jest  as  well  as  not,"  replied  the  wife,  "  come, 
now,  go  'long." 

"  Not  by  a  jug  full ! "  exclaimed  the  man,  "  it's  a  mose 
night,  an'  comin'  on  mighty  cold.  'Twouldn't  be  o'  no  yarthly 
use,  —  pcrsides,  I'm  sick,  an'  I've  got  more  work  tow  do  than 
you  ken  shake  a  stick  at." 

"That's  jes' all  purtince,  Dijah,  all  purtince,"  replied  Mrs. 
Gray,  in  a  vexed  tone.  Cousin  Franck  now  went  in  and  ad- 
dressed him. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Gray  ?  I  would  be  glad  to  employ 
you  to  find  out  the  direction  taken  by  the  carriage." 

"  Couldn't  do't  as  I  knows  on,"  replied  Dijah  Gray, 
"  starms  a  brewin',  winter  never  rots  in  the  sky,"  he  added, 
shivering  as  he  stood  Avith  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  looking 
out  of  the  half  open  door. 

"  Ye'll  pay  what's  wuth,  won't  ye  ? "  asked  Sally  Gray. 


SL 


COUSIN    kuanck's    household.  153 

"  0,  certainly,"  replied  cousin  Franck. 

"I  reckons  I  shall  hafter  go,"  replied  she  ;  "■  women  hafter 
do  ivry  blessed  thing  as  is  done.  Always  tow  hot  or  tow 
cold,  tow  yarly  or  tow  late  for  the  men.  Theyse  a  mighty 
weak  an'  scary  set,  and  not  a  bit  o'  rependence  for  a  body," 
and  she  tied  her  calico  nightcap  down  over  her  ears  with  a 
strip  of  rag,  and,  coming  up  to  me,  said,  "  I'll  jes'  borry  that 
are  warm  shawl  of  yourn,"  which  I  gave  her,  saying  she  need 
not  return  it,  when  she  sallied  out  to  make  inquiries  respect- 
ing the  route  of  the  carriage.  She  had  left  only  a  few  mo- 
ments Avhen  Grilsa  Griffin  made  her  appearance. 

"  Ho,  ho,  hum !  "  she  exclaimed,  as  she  stalked  in,  "  tired 
as  a  dog ;  hafter  work  perdigus  hard  tendin'  my  customers ! 
Been  tryin'  ter  git  in  sher  all  day  an'  git  my  pay;  —  I  'spect 
you  understand ; "  and  she  winked  and  nodded  as  if  to  es- 
tablish her  meaning.  "  Desperit  hurry,  cust'mers  waitin', 
fork't  over,  that's  all." 

Cousin  Franck  told  her  that  he  would  see  that  she  was 
paid,  and,  taking  out  his  pocket-book,  handed  her  a  bill  which 
made  her  eyes  glisten. 

"  My  'specks  to  you  for  dish  sher ;  reckoned  ye'd  wanter 
make  it  squar  right  smart  quick,  bein'  as  ye'd  toted  hum  yer 
slaves  as  I  found.  Yer  gal  there  tooked  'em  hum  a  sj^ell 
by,  —  but  I'm  off  with  my  'spects  ter  you  for  dish  sher;" 
and,  crumpling  the  bill,  she  stowed  it  into  the  neck  of  her 
dress,  and  was  gone.  Cousin  Franck  and  his  wife  looked  at 
each  other  in  blank  amazement  for  a  moment,  when  the  for- 
mer said, 


M 


154  cousix    i-'uaxck's    iious;:iiold. 


"  It  cannot  be,  Mrs.  Cameron,  that  Ruth  has  taken  Fayett 
and  her  family  home,  —  she  would  have  freely  consulted  us 
in  that  case ;  doubtless  she  has  given  them  the  help  of  a  ride 
towards  the  free  States." 

Sally  Gray  now  returned,  and  the  information  she  com- 
municated confirmed  cousin  Franck  in  his  opinion,  and  as  he 
reiterated  it,  Mrs.  Cameron  replied,  with  a  sigh, 

"Is  it  possible ?  and  yet  I  fear  as  much.  "What  a  strange 
child  she  is,  —  so  dutiful  in  everything  else,  and  so  wilful  and 
crazy  on  this  slavery  question.  But  I  cannot  think  she 
would  do  such  an  audacious  thing;  I  fear  it  will  be  the  death 
of  me  if  it  proves  true ; "  and  Madam  Regina  turned  very 
pale,  and  appeared  as  if  fainting.  The  remainder  of  the  day 
and  night  we  all  had  our  attention  engrossed  in  taking  care 
of  her,  as  her  symptoms  were  alarming  and  hysterical. 

The  morning  after  Ruth's  departure  was  lowering  and  un- 
comfortable,—  the  sky  being  disfigured  with  the  sulky  frowns 
of  a  northern  November,  and  the  air  eminently  suggestive 
of  ague  chills.  As  I  set  out  for  the  morning's  airing,  Sally 
Gray  and  little  Tommy  started  for  the  nearest  plantation 
with  a  note  from  cousin  Franck,  requesting  the  planter,  Mr. 
K.,  to  call  on  him  immediately,  and,  if  possible,  lend  him  his 
carriage  and  horses.  The  j^eople  of  the  settlement  were  astir 
earher  than  usual,  as  the  events  of  the  previous  day  were 
of  an  exciting  character.  Smoke  curled  from  every  cabin 
save  the  late  abode  of  Fayett,  and  almost  involuntarily  I 
bent  my  steps  thither.  As  I  stood  there,  musing  on  the  late 
strange  occurrence,  and  its  probable  results,  a  tatterdemalion 


COUSIN     FUAN'CK's     iiouseuold,  1.j5 

of  the  place  came  along,  in  company  with  Grilsa's  Polly,  an 
overgi'own,  muscular  girl. 

"  Ilow'd  you  know  they  wint  that  ar  way  ?  "  asked  the 
man  of  Polly. 

"  Cause  I  asked  the  stable  boys  from  Popple  farm,"  replied 
Polly,  in  a  loud  voice ;  "  they  trades  with  marm  a  heap,  — 
comes  sher  over  an'  often  o'  dark  nights,  with  all  the  truck 
they  can  lay  ban's  on,  an'  mai'm  she  buys  it  up,  an'  squars  off 
with  whizkey ;"  and  the  half-intoxicated  girl  burst  into  a 
silly  laugh. 

"  I  reckons  yer  knows  'bout  de  tase  of  yer  ma'm's  whiz- 
key," said  her  neighbor,  joining  in  her  laugh. 

"  Sakes  alive !  I  does  so"  replied  the  girl,  with  a  brazen 
face.  "  Marm  she  says  I'm  a  staver  at  it.  Fve  drinkt  on  a 
bet  afore  now,  I  have.  Marm  she  says  it's  jes  all  I'm  good 
for  is  ter  fish  out  a  body's  consarns  an'  drink  whizkey,  he, 
he,  he ;  marm  she  gits  huffy  atween  times,  and  says  she  can't 
afford  it.  Hei !  can't  afford  it !  we'll  see,  says  I  to  mysef, 
ole  woman's  gittin'  rich  an'  stingy ;  sometimes  she  hide  de 
mug,  an'  what  does  I  dew  but  take  the  birril  on  my  knee  an' 
drink  out  of  the  bung  hole  !  It's  plaguey  good  so,  case  I  ken 
corner  the  ole  un  an'  git  a  drink  tew,  he,  he,  he." 

"Ole  woman's  gittin'  rich,  is  she?"  asked  the  man  Jim. 

"  Reckons  you'd  think  so  ef  you  seed  all  the  heaps  o' 
money  she  got,"  replied  Polly.  "  She's  dwine  rightch  smart 
o'  trade,  you  may  depind;  an'  Sundays  she  trade  smarter'n 
iver." 

*'  Sun'ays  ?  what's  that  ?  "  asked  Jim. 


156  COUSIN    franco's    household. 

"  Why  Li !  don't  you  know  ?  Tlie  day  rich  uns  goes  ter 
meetin',  dare  sarvints  come?  over  sher  an'  has  a  good  time 
tradin'  with  marm ;  they  gits  a  pass  ter  go  a  piece,  an'  comes 
sher;  nivex*  comes  'cept  Sun'ays  an'  dark  nights,  when  the 
patrol  can't  see  'em." 

"  Rich  folks  goes  ter  meetin',"  slowly  echoed  Jim,  "  an' 
what's  dey  do  dare  ?  " 

"  Why  hi !  "  replied  Polly,  "  don't  you  know  ?  You  mus* 
be  drunk.  Marm  she  says  dey  goes  dare  ter  larn  how  ter 
'press  the  poor,  an'  I  vows  it's  all  they  does  go  for.  They 
purtinds  they'se  got  'ligion,  an'  reads  the  Bible,  an'  prays,  an' 
all  that  ar,  but  it  does  me  lots  more  good  to  har  a  body  swar, 
than  it  does  tew  har  'em  ar  hypercritters  purtind  ter  pray." 

"  Wal,  Polly,"  replied  Jim,  as  if  wondering  at  her  accom- 
plishments, "you'se  always  studyin' on 'em  ar  tings, — you'se 
got  larnin',  I  'spect  you  knows." 

"I  'spect  I  does  so"  rejoined  the  girl,  "I'd  knock  you 
down  ef  you  said  I  did'nt ;  I'd  lay  you  flat,  I  vow  I  would ; 
and  she  swung  her  arm  with  a  threatening  gesture. 

"  You're  a  ter'ble  smart  un,  an'  ef  a  body  says  you  haint, 
he  don't  know  nothin'." 

"  I'll  knock  'em  down  as  says  a  word  agin  me,  I  will  so," 
exclaimed  Polly. 

At  this  moment  her  mother,  Grilsa,  appeared  in  the  door  of 
her  cabin,  and  called  to  her  to  be  spry,  and  come  and  help  her. 

"  Won't  stir  a  step,  so  thar ! "  replied  the  specimen  of 
amiability.  "  Ole  un  begrudges  me  my  whizkey,  an'  she 
may  wait  an'  tend  her  crustymors  hi-rsef,  for  what  I  care." 


COUSIN    franck's    iiolskhold.  157 

Grilsa,  seeing  that  her  daughter  was  not  disposed  to  come 
at  her  call,  had  recourse  to  coaxing.  She  displayed  a  red 
and  yellow  ribbon,  and  said, 

"  Come  'long,  Pol,  see  what's  I'se  got." 

At  the  sight  of  the  piece  of  finery  the  girl's  eyes  glistened, 
and  she  started  towards  the  whiskey  hut ;  when  she  saw  me, 
she  greeted  me  at  first  with  a  vacant  stare,  and  then,  wink- 
ing  and   nodding   in  a  familiar  way,   said,   quite  patroniz- 

"  Come  on,  Miss,  let's  see  that  are  truck  the  ole  un's  got."" 
Seeing  little  Netty  Gray  enter  Grilsa's  abode  with  the  family 
whiskey  jug,  I  was  induced  to  go  in. 

"  Halloa !  have  a  cheer  !  "  said  Grilsa  Griffin,  handing  me 
a  rickety  affair,  plainly  of  home  manufacture. 

"  Now,  marm,"  said  the  daughter,  sulkily,  "  ef  you  don't 
hand  over  that  are  ribbon  mighty  quick,  I'll  be  in  your  hair." 

"  Come,  Pol,  you  be  done  ! "  said  the  mother,  "  berhave 
yersef,  now  the  lady's  slier,  for  land's  sake,  dew ;  liar's  yer 
ribbon."  Polly,  having  grasped  it,  exclaimed,  with  childish 
delight, 

"  Now,  ef  thish  sher  haint  putty !  I'll  bet  I'll  dress  up  in 
this  sher  bran  new,  brindled  ribbon  ivry  day ;  so  much 
crustymers  an'  men  folks  a  comin'  an'  a  goin',  a  body  haster 
dress  up  mighty  cranky ;"  and  she  fastened  the  tawdry  thing 
about  her  smutty  neck  with  a  thorn  bush  pin. 

"  I'll  bet  you  won't  dress  up  in   that  are  nice,   speckled 
ribin,  ivry  day,"  said  the  mother,  warmly.     "Won't  have 
none  such  stravagincies  in  my  huss,  I  won't." 
14 


158  COUSIN    fuanck's    household. 

'*  I'll  di'w  as  I'm  a  mineter,  I'll  bet  a  jug  full,  I  will,"  ex- 
claimed Polly,  witli  an  air  of  defiance. 

'•  "Wal,  ef  yon  liaint  a  staver,  an'  a  witch,  to  boot!"  ex- 
claimed the  mother,  and  turning  to  me,  "Now  I  don't  spoze 
our  Pol  cars  no  more  fur  her  mother,  as  has  raised  her  up  an' 
hedicated  her,  an'  gin  her  victuals  an'  whizkey ;  —  she  don't 
car  no  more  for  me,  tlian  she  do  for  that  ar  cheer ;  not  a  mite 
nor  a  grain,  she  don't."  Here  the  daughter  began  to  whistle 
by  way  of  verifying  her  mother's  words. 

The  child  Netty  stood  waiting,  with  tlie  brown  jug  in  her 
purple,  little  hand,  in  her  gentle,  patient,  but  sensitive  man- 
ner—  a  strange  contract  to  the  boisterous,  uncouth  creatures 
of  the  whiskey  hut. 

"  IIo,  hum!  I  mus'  be  moviu',  an'  fill  Dijah's  jug,"  said 
Grilsa  Griffin,  with  a  hideous  yawn.  "  I  spoze  he'll  squar 
up  a  heap  better  now  he's  got  the  rich  un's  at  his  buss." 

Netty  had  manifested  much  embarrassment  on  meeting  me, 
and  as  the  whiskey  woman  made  this  rough  allusion  to  her 
father,  she  burst  into  tears. 

"What's  marm  said  tew  make  yer  whimper  now,  yer  little 
fool  ?  "  outspoke  Polly,  taking  hold  of  her  harshly,  and  shak- 
ing her. 

"  Now,  Pol,"  said  the  mother,  "  you  leave  that  young  un 
'lone!  be  done  shakin'  her  rite  sher  afore  thish  slier  lady!" 
and,  handing  the  jug  slie  had  just  filled  to  the  little  girl,  she 
added, 

"Make  yersef  scurce,  chillen  aint  wanted  hare." 

As  Netty  went  out,  I  arose   to  go,  notwithstanding  the 


^ 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  159 


very  pressing  invitation  of  Grilsa  to  stay  a  "  piece,"  as  she 
wanted  to  talk  a  "  heap."  As  I  took  Netty's  hand  in  mine, 
on  our  way  home,  she  diffidently  looked  up  in  my  face  and 
smiled  through  her  tears. 

"  "What  made  you  cry  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  was  'fraid  you  wouldn't  love  us  any  more,"  replied 
Netty. 

I  told  her  what  Grilsa  GrilRn  said  would  make  no  differ- 
ence, and  she  seemed  comforted. 

During  the  morning  the  planter,  Mr.  R.,  came  in  his  car- 
riage, which  he  assured  cousin  Franck  was  at  his  service. 
He  also  brought  a  note  fi'om  Ruth,  who  it  seems,  had  stopped 
at  his  house  on  the  way.  It  was  directed  to  her  parents, 
beautifully  written,  and  to  the  effect  that  she  had  undertaken 
to  help  Robert  and  Fayett  on  their  way  to  a  place  of  safety ; 
she  begged  they  would  forgive  her  seeming  rashness,  and  sus- 
pend judgment  until  her  return,  which  would  be  in  a  few 
days. 

Mrs.  Cameron  proposed  to  her  husband  immediately  to 
pursue  and  bring  back  Ruth,  and  those  she  had  taken  under 
her  protection  ;  but  he  would  not  be  persuaded  to  do  so.  He 
said  he  had  failed  in  his  late  expedition  to  recover  Hannibal 
and  Rafe,  and  he  was  tired  to  death,  and  should  be  sick  abed 
were  it  not  for  her  sad  case,  —  and  as  to  going  on  such  an- 
other "  wild-goose  chase,"  he'd  be  hung  first.  So  there  was 
an  end  of  the  matter,  and  his  wife  now  thinking  of  number- 
less comforts  at  home  for  which  the  carriage  must  be  imme- 


IGO  COUSIN    fkaxck's    household. 

diately  despatched  to  Port  Royal,  it  was  pi-oposed  that  I  take 
a  furlough  and  accompany  it. 

On  my  arrival  at  Port  Royal,  I  found  Rosalie  struggling 
in  a  sea  of  troubles. 

"I  am  so  glad  you  have  come,  —  I  should  not  have  sur- 
vived another  twenty-four  hours,  if  you  had  not,"  she  said, 
as  she  kissed  me  on  meeting. 

"  Why,  what  has  happened  ?     How  ill  you  look  !  " 

"  And  well  I  may,"  she  replied ;  "  such  trials  of  patience 
as  these  aggravating  servants  are  !  I  have  come  home,  duti- 
fully to  put  things  to  rights,  and  these  servants  are  the  most 
perverse  things.  Cleopatra  is  stubborn  as  a  mule,  and  will 
neither  do  one  thing  nor  the  other.  She  will  have  it,  that 
there  is  nothing  for  her  to  do  when  you  and  Ruth  are  away ; 
besides,  she  says  I  can  have  no  right  to  order  her  about,  for 
she  is  sold  to  the  Doctor.  And  Mima,  too,  is  as  contrary  as 
she  can  live." 

"  She  contrary  !  How  does  that  happen  ?    She  isn't  sold  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not,"  replied  Rosalie,  "and  the  aggravation  of 
it  is,  she  is  my  own  maid.  I  wish  you  would  help  me  bring 
Ler  round,  —  if  she  will  not  hear  to  reason,  she  must  be 
severely  dealt  with,  —  there  is  no  alternative." 

"What  is  the  dimculty  ?  "  I  asked. 

"The  foolisli  tiling  got  up  an  altachment  for  Hannibal," 
replied  Rosalie,  "  and  she  makes  ado  enough  to  cry  her  eyes 
out.  AYe've  got  two  servants,  .Tniiiper  and  Sim,  from  Willow 
Creek,  in  the  places  of  Hannibal  and  Rafe,  and  I  tell  her 
she  may  have  her  choice.     I  am  determined  she  shall  marry 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  161 

one  of  them,  and  forget  Hannibal.  But  the  ungrateful  thing 
turns  up  her  nose  at  them  both  ;  she  is  full  of  her  aristocratic 
notions,  because  she  has  always  been  a  house  servant,  and 
they  are  mere  tyros  at  the*  business.  I  feel  injured  and  hurt 
to  have  her  abuse  my  generosity  in  this  way;  but  she 
will  find  when  I  say  a  thing  I  am  in  earnest.  Things 
shall  be  put  to  rights  now  mamma  is  away.  Mima  shall 
marry  Juniper,"  and  Rosahe's  eyes  flashed,  and  her  little  foot 
came  down  with  quite  an  emphatic  stamp.  In  a  moment  she 
added,  "And  what  is  more,  Martha  must  quit  thinking  of 
Rafe,  and  marry  Sim." 

I  replied  that  time  might  work  great  changes  in  Mima's 
feelings,  —  she  might  lose  the  image  of  Hannibal,  and  learn 
to  love  his  successor.  Juniper. 

"  But  she  is  to  obey  me,  and  do  so  at  once,"  rejoined  Rosa- 
lie. "  I  am  set  on  having  her  married  to  Juniper,  and  I  will 
not  be  put  off  in  this  matter." 

The  veritable  Juniper  now  came  in,  with  a  fawning,  sim- 
pering and  insinuating  air,  bearing  a  hod  of  coal  to  replenish 
the  parlor  fire,  by  which  we  were  sitting.  He  was  tall  and 
wiry,  of  three-quarters  negro  blood,  slim,  sleek  and  greasy ; 
and  as  supple  and  subtle  as  a  srudic.  Indeed,  he  had  the  eye 
of  a  very  basilisk,  and  as  I  glanced  at  him  and  compared 
him  with  the  agreeable  and  handsome  Hannibal,  I  did  not 
blame  Mima,  I  pitied  her  from  my  heart.  His  hair  was  well 
saturated  with  pomatum,  and  from  his  ears  depended  a  pair 
of  very  antiquated  ear-rings,  which  the  wearer  seemed  devo 
14* 


1C2  COUSIN      FUAXCK's      110U6KUOLD. 

tedly  intent  on  keeping  in  motion  by  a  jaunty  and  conse- 
quential swaying  of  his  head.  A  fancy-colored  vest  diversified 
the  somewhat  threadbare  apparel  of  this  curious  specimen  of 
a  serving  man.  As  he  glided  out  in  his  noiseless  slippers, 
Rosalie  looked  at  me  and  said, 

"  What  think  you  of  that  piece  of  furniture  ?  Isn't  he  the 
very  pink  of  obsequiousness  ?  and  then  so  genteel  in  his 
livery." 

I  replied  that  he  certainly  did  look  rather  fanciful. 

"  Ah,  I  see  you  do  not  like  his  appearance,"  replied  Rosa- 
lie ;  "  believe  me,  coz,  it's  your  Northern  prejudice.  He's 
the  finest  looking  servant  I've  seen  in  a  long  while  ;  then  he 
is  so  accomplished  in  serving,  —  he  sets  off  our  establishment, 
giving  us  such  an  aristocratic  air !  As  for  Mima,  I've  no 
patience  with  the  little  jade,  not  to  see  the  advantage  of  such 
a.  match.  "We  shall  always  keep  Juniper,  of  course,  and  she 
would  not  be  troubled  with  the  thought  of  separation." 

"  Ave  you  sure  that  Juniper  has  no  wife  ?  " 

^  Why,  no,  my  good  little  coz,"  repUed  Rosalie,  laughing, 
"  I  am  sure  of  no  such  thing.  I  know  very  well  that  he  has 
a  wife  at  Willow  Creek,  and  it  isn't  his  first  wufe,  neither. 
But  these  servants,  we  make  nothing  of  their  marriages, — 
we  make  them  and  break  them  at  pleasure.  Juniper  has  no 
olyection  to  having  another  wife,  not  he ;  he  would  not  care 
if  he  had  luilf  a  dozen,  —  no  trouble  of  maintaining  them,  you 
perceive." 

"  I  have  no  patience  with  a  system  that  throws  such  con- 
tempt on  the  institution  of  marriage,"  said  I. 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  163 

"  O,  psluiw !  "  exclaimed  Rosalie,  "  not  the  least  harm  in 
the  world.  The  poor  things  are  not  accountable  for  their 
loose  notions  of  marriage,  —  they  do  not  know  any  better, 
and  it  would  be  useless  to  try  to  teach  them  better  ideas  of 
it.  Now  Juniper  looks  as  innocent  as  a  sheep,  but  I  really 
suppose  he  killed  his  first  wife." 

"  Why,  Rosalie  !  killed  her,  and  for  what?  " 

*'  For  no  reason  in  the  world,  so  far  as  I  can  make  out, 
except  that  she  had  more  religion  than  he ;  yc?,  I  sujipose 
she  was  what  you  would  call  a  sort  of  martyr.  I  will  some- 
time tell  you  all  about  it ;  it  would  take  too  much  time  now. 
There's  a  letter,  stating  particulars,  about  the  house  some- 
where. I'll  lind  it  for  you.  It  was  written  by  Mrs.  Briarly, 
our  housekeeper  at  Willow  Creek,  and  is  really  very  inter- 
esting. But  we  say  as  little  as  possible  about  it ;  we  do 
not  want  Juniper  to  know  that  we  ever  heard  that  he  did 
such  a  deed ;  he  is  very  valuable,  and  we  cannot  afford  to 
sell  him  to  the  nigger  buyer,  for  punishment,  and  the  whip- 
ping-post would  be  of  no  kind  of  use  for  him.  We  keep  the 
matter  from  the  servants  here,  but  those  at  WiUow  Creek 
have  got  hold  of  it." 

'*  Juniper,  then,  is  a  murderer !  " 

"  O,  no,"  rephed  Rosalie,  "  we  do  not  employ  so  harsh  a 
term,  —  his  crime  is  scarcely  so  bad  as  manslaughter." 

It  was  late,  and  I  went  to  my  tea,  and  immediately  after, 
as  I  repaired  to  my  room  for  the  night,  Rosalie  called  me  into 
hers,  and  rang  for  Mima,  saying  to  me, 


164  COUSIN    frakck's    household. 

"  You  just  hear  mc  try  to  convince  that  little  jade  that 
she  should  marry  Juniper,  and  you  second  the  motion,  that's 
a  good  girl,  please." 

I  had  scai'ccly  time  to  tell  her  that  my  conscience  would 
not  permit  me  to  do  so,  when  Mima  made  her  appearance. 

"■  Well,  Mima,"  said  Rosalie,  "  I  suppose  you  have  buried 
your  old  flame, — you're  going  to  please  me  and  marry  Juni- 
per; here's  Miss  Pocahontas,  she  has  come  just  in  time  to 
see  you  married." 

"  I  wish,  Miss  Rosalie,  you'd  please  ter  be  done,  I  do,"  re- 
plied Mima,  in  a  pretty,  pouting  way.  "  I  has  my  own 
stroubles  to  bar ;  it's  mighty  hard  totin'  um  'bout,  an'  I  wish 
ter  goodness  you'd  please  ter  quit  teasin'  mc  'bout  dat  ar 
dishagreeable  Juniper.  I  wish  he  was  furder,  I  do.  I 
wouldn't  touch  'ira  wid  a  forty  foot  pole,  indeed  I  wouldn't." 
"  I  am  in  earnest,"  replied  Rosalie ;  if  you  do  not  put  on  a 
pleasant  face,  and  agree  to  do  as  I  wish,  to-morrow,  you  shall 
be  tied  up,  and  Philip  Augustus  shall  whip  you  for  amuse- 
ment." 

"  Please  don't,  Miss  Rosalie ;  I'll  do  any  urrer  ting  you  bid 
me." 

"  Will  you  marry  Sim  ?  "  asked  Rosalie. 
"La  sakes.  Miss  Rosalie,  he  so  crump  back — den  he  dat 
ole,  —  he  des'  'bout  as  ole  he  ken  be.     'Pears  like  I'd  marry 
my  drandfader  when  I'd  marry  Sim,"  said  Mima. 

"  Just  as  I  supposed,"  replied  Rosalie,  "  all  of  a  piece.  It 
is  a  miserable  spirit  of  insubordination  that  possesses  you, 


« 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  165 

and  I  shall  cui-b  it  at  once.     You  shall  learn  the  lesson  of 
implicit  obedience.     You  shall  marry  Juniper  to-morrow." 

"  Indeeil,  Miss  Rosalie,  don't  mention  it,  please,"  said  poor 
Mima,  with  tearful  eyes ;  "  couldn't  think  on't  no  ways. 
Please  ter  b'lieve  mc ;  I  wouldn't  marry  'im  ter  save  'is  life. 
S'pose  I  tergrade  mysef  ter  marry  inter  dat  ar  fam'ly  ?  Wy 
hi !  Miss  Rosalie,  'twouldn't  be  'spectable  to  me,  an'  'twould 
be  mighty  tegradin'  ter  you,  have  um  say  ycr  maid  run  down 
hill  ter  marry  Juniper  Numby.  I'd  see  'im  hung  fust,  dat  I 
would." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Rosalie.  "  What  do  I  care  for 
your  ai'istocratic  notions  ?  I  see  no  difference  between  you 
and  Juniper ;  he  is  a  house  servant,  as  well  as  yourself." 

"  I  know  all  dat  ar,"  replied  Mima,  "  he  huss  sarvant,  dat 
is  e\ident,  but  'parently  he's  a  mighty  green  'and  at  de 
business,  he's  a  fiel'  'and  ony  'bout  a  yar  ago,  an'  'is  fam'ly  is 
des'  no  fam'ly  'tall ;  all  de  Numbys  is  bound  ter  flat  out,  an' 
turn  ter  notin',  des'  whar  dey  spring  frum,  dat  is  evident. 
"Wouldn't  speak  ob  'em  de  same  yar  wid  Hannibal." 

"You  silly  jade!"  exclaimed  Rosalie,  "you'll  never  set 
eyes  on  Hannibal  again,  if  you  live  to  be  as  old  as  Methu- 
saleh.  He'll  never  come  back,  and  if  he  does,  he's  sold  to 
the  Doctor,  and  you  won't  see  him." 

Mima  burst  into  tears,  and  sobbed  violently,  saying,  bro- 
kenly, 

"  Don't  see  how  ken  live,  no  ways  ;  never  poor  creatur 
had  such  stroubles  as  I'se  got." 


1G6  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"  You  shut  up,"  replied  Rosalie,  "  you're  the  silliest  thing 
alive.  You  do  not  know  what  is  best  for  you,  and  without 
any  more  ifs  or  ands  you  shall  marry  Juniper  to-morrow, — 
I  wall  be  obeyed." 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    XI. 

A     MARRIAGE. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Jaii.  9,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  — "  Fine  mornin'  to  travel,"  said  Cleopatra,  as 
she  came  into  my  room  the  next  morning,  with  "  a  turn  of 
wood."  This  was  her  usual  salutation,  — "  Fine  mornin' to 
travel," — being  as  common  with  her  as  "Good  morning" 
with  other  people.  Warm  or  cold,  wet  or  dry,  it  was  all  the 
same  to  her  —  always  a  good  morning  to  travel.  She  was 
ever  thinking,  what  a  good  time  to  set  out,  but  never  getting 
courage  enough  to  venture. 

"  Are  you  well  this  morning,  Cleopatra  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Law  no.  Miss,  I'se  never  well,"  she  replied,  in  a  de- 
pressed tone.  "  I'se  dat  crumpt  up  wid  'matic  pains,  I  don't 
git  no  res'  no  way,  an'  den  dare's  my  ear-ache ;  thought  I 
done  got  shed  ob  it  entirely,  but  it  ache  dat  hard  de  l)igger 
part  ob  de  night.  Don't  see  what's  Is'e  good  for  no  way  — 
Is'e  dat  ole.  Miss,  I  'spect  I  oughtenter  been  solid.  I'se  dat 
crumpt  up  wid  de  reumatis  I  can't  do  much.  Dat  Doctor 
made  a  losin'  bargain  on  me,  you  may  depend.  Why  hi !  I 
ony  des'  creeps  roun'  now,  an'  de  journey  '11  intrude  on  my 
constitution  a  heap,  an'  Is'e  '11  be  des'  no  use  at  all.  De  new 
Massa  '11  mark  me  ole  an'  useless,  an'  let  me  starve  to  death. 


1G8        '  COUSIN    franx'k's    iiouskiioi.d. 

"  I  wist  dey'd  a  let  me  stayed  an'  died  where  I  be,"  she 
added  sadlj,  after  a  pause.  "  I  wouldn't  stroubled  'em  long ; 
I'se  amose  worn  out.  It  makes  me  feel  so  sick  at  my  heart, 
studyin'  an'  gwine  way  off  from  all  my  kin  to  de  South. 
Taint  cole  dare,  but  so  miserable  wet ;  dey  do  say  it  damp 
as  de  mischief,  an'  what's  I'se  ter  do  arter  all  my  fatigument, 
gittin'  the  chills  an'  the  agers  a  top  o'  dat  ?  I'se  '11  shake 
mightily  gwine,  I  makes  no  matter  o'  doubt.  I  shall  wish  I 
had  suthin'  warmin'  ter  drink,  to  stx-ike  de  top  of  de  chills  so 
dey  can't  git  too  strong  a  hold  on  me." 

A  bird  alighting  on  the  tree  by  my  window,  began  to  sing. 
"  I  dun  know  what  de  birds  want  to  sing  for,  dis  cole  mom- 
in',"  said  Cleopatra,  in  the  same  dejected  tone ;  "  if  I  was  a 
bird,  I'd  done  stay  hid  in  de  leaves,  an'  never  open  my  mouth 
at  aU. 

"  Dis  sher  wood  so  'bomible  it  wont  burn,  Miss,"  added 
she,  after  sundry  attempts  at  kindling  it ;  "  dare,  it  smoke. 
I  reckon  it  '11  burn  when  it  git  hot — 'pears  like  it  mought. 

"  I  dreamed  'bout  my  husband  dat's  dead  an'  gone,  last 
night,  Miss ;  I  dreamed  lie  was  singing  so  pretty !  0,  dat 
pretty,  you  may  depend,  I  was  mighty  sorry  wlien  I  wake. 
Dey  say  ef  you  dream  of  de  dead,  it's  a  sign  o'  rain. 

"Don't  see  what  dey  wanter  tote  me  way  off  dare  for  — 
I'se  had  stroubles  heaped  on  top  o'  stroubles  all  my  life  long, 
an'  I  don't  liave  no  desirement  to  end  off  wid  dis  sher 
strouble  of  bcin'  saiint  [sent]  off  south,  dat  I  don't ;  I  'spect 
ef  I  stayed,  tliougli,  dey'd  strike  up  some  new  strouble  ur 
urrer  ter  intei'cs'  [disturb]  me  all  my  days.      Dares  INIima, 


'""■'' !'^^'/^'^J.,  ,''>Xv/  >^«'/'V",^^W 


COUSIN    fkaxck's    household.  169 


she  an'  I'se  had  our  little  fallins  out,  an'  now  I'se  gwine  to 
be  saunt  off,  an'  she's  in  strouble,  I'se  mighty  sorry.  I 
pintcdly  telld  her  I  wouldu't  marry  dat  ar  Juniper  to  save  'is 
life,  an'  dey  mought  make  de  mose  of  it.  I  makes  no  ad- 
miration [wonder]  dat  Miss  Rosalie  is  consarned  to  put  tings 
to  rights  for  de  fust  time  in  her  life,  now  mistress  done  gone, 
but  I  don't  see  what  besets  her  to  marry  Mima  to  that  snake 
in  de  grass. 

"  What's  all  dat  noise  down  stai-s  in  de  hall  ?  I  should 
admire  to  know ! "  So  saying,  Cleopatra  left  my  room.  I 
soon  followed  hei',  and  directly  found  myself  leaning  over 
the  staircase  balustrade,  eyes  and  ears  intent  on  witnessing 
the  singular  scene  below. 

In  the  back  part  of  the  hall,  near  the  door  leading  into  the 
kitchen  yard,  two  chairs  were  placed  opposite,  about  four 
feet  apart.  A  broom  was  laid  across  them,  and  there  stood 
Juniper,  and  poor  Mima,  while  Rosahe,  with  burning  cheeks 
and  flashing  eyes,  presided  as  master  of  ceremonies. 

"  When  I  say,  now,  you  are  both  to  jump,"  she  said,  very 
emphatically ;  then,  in  a  louder  voice,  she  uttered  the  signal 
"  now !  "  At  this  Juniper  sprang  over  the  stick  of  matri- 
mony with  the  agility  of  a  cat,  but  Mima  remained  on  the 
other  side. 

"  What's  the  reason  you  did  not  jump,  you  silly  dunce  ?  " 

exclaimed  Rosalie,  greatly  vexed.     "  But  you  shall  obey  me  ! 

there,  take  that !  "  and  she  boxed  her  ears  with  her  slipper. 

"You  are  my  maid.     I  should  Kke  to  know  Avhat  right  you 

15 


170  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

have  to  think  for  yourself  in  this  matter  or  in  any  other  ? 
You  must  learn  to  know  your  place,  —  your  mind  is  to  be 
implicitly  subject  to  mine,  and  it  shall  be,  if  I  have  to  whip 
you  within  an  inch  of  your  life  to  break  you  in."  Mima  was 
silent,  save  crying  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

"  Come,  Juniper,  try  your  luck  again,"  said  Rosalie ;  and 
this  time,  as  the  shrill  "  noio "  rang  through  the  hall,  the 
mulatto  caught  his  heartless  bride,  and  bounded  over  the 
stick  as  lightly  as  before. 

"  Well  done  !  "  exclaimed  Rosalie,  "  that  was  well  done. 
Tliere,  now  you  arc  married,  Mima,  and  I  hope  you  have 
learned  that  I  mean  as  I  say." 

"It's  des'  no  marrying  'tall,  to  jump  over  de  broomstick," 
sobbed  out  Mima. 

"  You  shut  up !  It's  better  than  you  deserve.  If  you 
had  been  Avilling  and  obedient,  I  designed  to  have  made  you 
a  pretty  wedding  in  the  parlor,  and  would  have  called  the 
clergyman  in ;  but  you  were  so  stubborn  that  I  was  under 
the  necessity  of  substituting  this  way,  which  is  quite  as  good 
as  any  other  for  you  servants,  who  are  always  being  changed 
about." 

"Des'  so,  Miss  Rosalie,"  simpered  Juniper,  "des'  so,  —  do 
common  run  of  servants  would  think  'emselves  mighty  happy 
to  git  as  much  marriage  as  dis  slier." 

"  You  clar,  you  nippcty  and  junipy,  or  what's  your  name  ?  " 
outspoke  Cleopatra,  who  had  stood  at  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs,  smothering  her  indignation  till  she  could  smother  it 
no  longer.     "  I  makes  free  to  tell  you  des'  what  I  tinks,  — 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  171 


you  is  a  sly,  durable  vilyun,  an'  Miss  Rosalie  '11  find  you  out 
some  ob  dese  yci*  times." 

Juniper's  eyes  snapped,  and  Rosalie,  with  a  tried  and 
anxious  air,  said, 

"0,  you  quit  this  nonsense,  Cleopatra;  I'm  tired  to  death 
putting  the  house  to  rights,  I  am,  indeed.  I  wish  my  heart 
you  were  all  landed  in  Africa." 

"  I  aint  gwine  to  Africa,"  replied  Cleopatra,  warmly, 
"  'cause  I'se  bred  an  bornd  here ;  I  aint  gwine  to  Africa,  ef 
I'se  as  free  as  a  frog,  I  aint  gwine.  If  all  my  forefaders 
done  staid  dare,  den  I  shouldn't  know  anyting  'bout  dis  sher 
country,  an'  now  I  doesn't  prefar  to  know  anyting  'bout  dat." 

"  Cleopatra  thinks  they  eat  people  there.  Miss  Rosalie," 
suggested  Juniper,  with  a  sneer.  "  I  reckon  dare  be  right 
smart  too  many  niggers  dare  for  my  use,  entirely, — I  should 
miss  de  society  of  de  white  folks  mose  'mazingly." 

"  You  hush ! "  exclaimed  Cleopatra,  "  I  dun  know  who 
want's  to  hear  you  gobble,  gobble,  gobble." 

"  Were  there  ever  such  quarrelsome  servants  ? "  said 
Rosalie.     "  I  wish  to  goodness  you  were  all  in  Africa." 

"  An'  if  you  was  dare,  too,"  replied  Cleopatra,  "  my  'thor- 
ity  ud  be  des'  as  high  as  j^ourn,  —  not  a  bit  bigger  nor  a  bit 
less." 

"  Be  done  this  moment ! "  exclaimed  Rosalie ;  "  you  are 
enough  to  try  the  patience  of  Job." 

"  0,  Job,  indeed,"  retorted  Cleopatra,  with  unheard  of  in- 
dependence, "  Job  couldn't  make  no  headway  'tall,  in  dis  sher 


172  cousix    fkaxck's    household. 

times,  —  liis  ixitieuce  clean  gone  entirely  by  de  stroublesome 
people.     Bress  de  Lord,  he  don't  live  in  dis  slier  days." 

"  Be  done  with  your  nonsense,  I  say,"  exclaimed  Rosalie, 
stamping  her  foot.  "  You  think  yourself  quite  sure  of  get- 
ting to  heaven  at  last,  I  dai-e  say,  but  you'll  find  yourself 
mightily  mistaken." 

"  It's  hard  tellin'  Avho'U  go  to  heaven,"  replied  Cleopatra, 
"but  I  reckon  if  sich  as  you  go,  I'll  stand  a  good  chance, 
I'se  a  poor,  sick,  ole  slave  woman,  an'  I'se  got  to  be  saunt 
•way  off  from  all  my  kin,  an'  afore  I  go  I  will  have  my  say. 
Des'  as  true  as  de  sun  is  travelliu'  into  de  ilement,  we  shall 
both  have  ter  go  before  dat  gi-eat  Judge,  an'  you  won't  have 
ter  give  'count  for  me,  nor  I  for  you,— but  you'll  have  ter 
give  'count  how  you've  used  me." 

"  I,  what  have  I  done  to  harm  you  ? "  asked  Rosalie,  in 
surprise. 

""What's  you  hasn't  done,  dem  of  your  color's  done," 
replied  Cleopatra,  sternly.  "'Twas  your  kin  dat  did  it. 
Dey  weard  out  my  poor  husband  into  de  grave,  an'  dey  made 
me  ole  when  I  was  young,  an'  dey's  always  a  tormentin'  us 
poor  slaves,  a  tearin'  us  'way  from  each  other  every  Avich 
way,  an'  a  saundin'  us  off  to  de  rice  swamps  to  die.  All 
dese  ere  things  '11  be  inquared  into  at  de  judgment ;  dey'll 
all  be  'membered." 

"  Preach  to  me,  indeed,"  exclaimed  Rosalie ;  "  who  ever 
heard  of  such  impudence  ?  I'll  not  bear  it  any  longer  ;  I'll 
send  word  to  the  Doctor  to  have  him  take  you  away  this 
very  day." 


COUSIN      FUANCK  S      HOUSKIIOI.!). 


Prince,  the  cook,  now  opened  the  door,  bringing  in  break- 
f\xst,  followed  by  Martha,  bearing  the  coffee,  and  Rosalie 
added,  "  Go  to  your  morning  work,  every  one  of  you  ;  "  then, 
turning  to  come  up  stairs,  she  caught  sight  of  me,  and  as  she 
joined  mo,  affecting  a  gay  laugh,  she  said, 

"  You  must  have  been  very  much  edified.  I  never  was  so 
vexed  in  my  life.  And  what  a  prospect  I  have  before  me, 
as  the  mistress  of  servants !  I  make  sure  I  shall  be  aggra- 
vated to  death  with  their  mulish  ways." 

"  I  would  rid  myself  of  such  a  burden  and  responsibility 
by  freeing  them  at  once,"  I  replied, 

"You  would;  perhaps  so — but  you  would  be  liable  to 
change  your  mind,  if  you  had  people  in  possession.  The 
love  of  power  is  sweet  —  nothing  can  be  compared  to  it. 
Who  covets  to  be  nobody  and  nothing,  without  riches  and 
station  ?  I  am  frank  to  own,  I  do  not.  And  yet  if  I  was 
constituted  like  Ruth,  who  seems  to  take  pleasure  in  self- 
denial,  I  do  not  doubt  I  should  be  far  happier  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  owning  servants.  I  should  not  get  so  horridly 
tried  and  aggravated." 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  I  asked,  "  why  it  is  that  those  who  own 
servants  get  so  '  horridly  tried '  with  them,  when  they  are 
amiable  and  long-suffering  towards  aU  other  living  beings  ?  " 

"  Wliy,  no,  coz,  I  do  not  know  as  I  can,  but  it  is  a  fact," 
replied  Rosalie.  "  Now  I  am  not  bad-tempered,  you  know  I 
am  not ;  yet  when  I  attempt  to  regulate  perverse  servants,  a 
fierce  and  ugly  temper  possesses  me,  and  I  feel  sometimes  as 
if  I  could  kill  them  outright.  It  is  vastly  uncomfortable,  I 
15* 


174  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

assure  you,  and  then  I  feel  so  wretchedly  afterwards.  I 
feel  now  as  if  I  could  cry  all  day,  and  I  abhor  the  very  thought 
of  Cleopatra  and  Mima." 

"  I  believe  it  has  been  truly  said,"  I  replied,  "  that  the 
love  of  power  is  perhaps  the  strongest  human  passion.  It 
intoxicates  the  mind  just  as  alcohol  does  the  body ;  hence 
you  are  not  yourself  when  you  attempt  to  regulate  your 
servants." 

"  I  should  do  very  well,"  Rosalie  rejoined,  "  if  the  servants 
had  no  wills  of  their  own  —  if  they  would  only  take  my  will 
in  the  place  of  their  own,  I  should  feel  amiable  enough." 

"  And  does  not  the  fact  that  they  have  rational  wills  of 
their  own  indicate  that  they  ought  not  to  be  degraded  from 
the  rank  of  persons  to  things  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know ;  I  am  worried  to  death,  and  my 
head  aches.  There's  the  breakfast  bell,  —  come,  let  us  go." 
"VVe  breakfasted  in  silence,  and  the  topic  of  the  morning 
was  not  again  broached  until  mid-day,  when  I  sought  Rosalie, 
thinking  she  might  be  rested,  and  that  possibly  I  might  in- 
fluence her  to  reverse  her  severe  decision  respecting  Cleo- 
patra. 

After  a  little  unimportant  chat  Rosalie  introduced  the 
subject  of  my  thoughts  by  saying, 

"  I  do  believe  you  Northerners  think  us  slaveholders  the 
crudest  people  the  world  ever  saw." 

"  O,  no,  indeed,"  I  replied ;  "  we  think  you  are  a  remark- 
ably kind  people,  considering  the  circumstances  in  which  you 
are  placed.    You  are  legally  endowed  with  the  most  arbitrary 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  175 

power  over  a  large  class  of  human  beings,  and  as  the  history 
of  all  ages  wiU  testify,  the  exercise  of  this  power  is  corrupt- 
ing to  the  finest  emotions  of  the  heart,  and  leads  directly  to 
cruelty.  Just  follow  down  the  records  of  history,  and  see 
what  have  been  the  results  of  arbitrary  power.  Almost  in- 
variably has  the  despot  distinguished  himself  by  venting  his 
ill-\\'ill  on  those  beneath  him,  by  some  inhuman  or  atrocious 
deed.  It  is  natural  that  those  who  injure  others  without 
cause,  should  hate  them,  and  one  injury  only  paves  the  way 
for  another." 

"  But  we  are  proverbially  kind  to  our  slaves  ;  we  make  it 
a  point  to  treat  them  well,"  replied  Rosalie. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,"  was  my  reply ;  "  it  is  not  the  abuse 
of  the  system. we  complain  of,  it  is  its  iise  —  the  natural 
workings  of  the  system.  It  is  the  denying  that  men,  women 
and  children  are  persons ;  it  is  the  undoing  what  God  has 
done  in  giving  them  souls,  and  transforming  them  into 
chattels.  This  is  the  great  evil,  compared  with  which  the 
incidental  cruelties  of  the  system  are  hai'dly  worthy  of  a 
thought." 

"  You  may  be  right,  for  aught  I  know  to  the  contrary," 
replied  Rosalie,  "  but  what  are  we  to  do  ?  They  are  entailed 
upon  us,  are  valued  at  so  much,  and  if  we  free  them  we  must 
part  with  our  fortunes  and  become  penniless.  You  cannot 
expect  us  to  do  that.  IMamma  calls  it  a  dispensation  of 
Providence,  to  which  we  do  well  to  submit." 

"  I  have  one  favor  to  ask  of  you,"  said  I,  "  and  that  is, 


176  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


that  you  will  not  report  Cleopatra  to  tlie  Doctor,  and  thus 
hurry  her  away  from  us." 

"Ah,  you  are  too  late, — I  despatched  a  note  to  the  Doc- 
tor immediately  after  breakfast,  and  have  received  his  reply. 
He  is  sick  with  the  influenza ;  his  drover  will  be  along  this 
afternoon  to  take  Cleopatra  in  charge." 

"  0,  is  it  possible  ?  "  I  exclaimed, — "  I  am  so  disappointed, 
— I  do  not  feel  as  if  I  could  have  it  so." 

"  You  seem  to  forget  the  aggravations  of  the  morning  very 
easily,"  replied  Rosalie,  with  a  displeased  air.  '•  If  I  did  not 
make  her  an  example  by  this  decisive  step,  what  could  I  do 
with  the  rest  of  the  servants?  It  is  absolutely  necessary  in 
the  circumstances." 

I  returned  to  my  room  in  despair.  Cleopatra  was  there 
weeping  bitterly ;  how  bitterly  none  may  know  save  those 
who  can  put  their  soul  in  her  soul's  stead.  Xeed  I  tell  you 
that  I  threw  my  arms  about  her  neck,  and  wept  with  her  as 
if  she  had  been  my  own  mother?  After  a  long  interval  of 
bursting  grief,  she  uttered, 

"  God  will  bless  you,  Miss,  for  dis  sher  kin'ness  to  one  of 
his  little  ones.  It  help  res'  my  poor,  broken  heart.  Can't 
you  read  me  a  good,  strengthenin'  Psalm  afore  I  go  ?  "  And 
as  I  read  portions  of  the  Psalms  dictated  in  the  depths  of 
affliction  and  oppression,  Cleopatra  would  now  and  then  ex- 
claim, at  a  passage, 

"  Dare,  now,  how  good !  des'  as  I  feel  at  my  heart."  At 
last,  as  I  closed  the  book,  she  burst  out  anew,  sobbing,  "  If  I 
could  ony  read,  Miss,  like  you,  and  had  dat  book  to  tote  mid 


COUSIN     FRAXCk's      UOUSEnOLD.  177 

me,  I  wouldn't  vally  gwine  so  much ;  but  I'se  got  no  such 
comfort.  I'se  done  been  robbed  of  every  chance  to  larn ;  de 
Bible  isn't  for  me  in  my  sorror." 

I  tried  to  comfort  her,  by  telling  her  that  the  compassion- 
ate Saviour  knew  all  this,  and  he  would  be  very  gracious  to 
her  in  her  great  affliction.  Then,  kneeling  together,  we 
prayed  to  him.  Sweet,  heavenly  moments !  I  can  never 
forget  them. 

As  we  arose  from  prayer,  Cleopatra  said, 
"  'Pears  like  I  ken  bear  it  all,  if  ouy  de  Lord  Jesus  be  wid 
me." 

Mima  now  came  in,  weeping.  She  had  been  listening  at 
the  door.  Cleopatra  caught  her  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her, 
saying,  "  Don't  you  lay  up  de  hard  tings  I'se  said,  an'  promise 
me  you  will  love  de  Loi'd  Jesus." 

"  I'll  done  try,  I  will,"  replied  the  poor  girl,  still  weeping. 
"  It's  de  ony  comfort  us  poor  slaves  has,"  continued  Cleo- 
patra, "  an'  you'll  find  him  dat  pitiful !  " 

The  Doctor's  drover  now  came  with  the  canyall,  and 
Cleopatra  must  go.  Half  a  dozen  slaves  were  akeady  col- 
lected in  the  vehicle,  and  with  Cleopatra  they  were  to  be 
taken  to  a  plantation  at  some  distance,  and  from  thence,  with 
a  large  reinforcement,  perform  the  long  journey  on  foot,  being 
well  ironed  with  manacles,  and  attached,  two  abreast,  to  the 
infamous  cofile. 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER     XII. 

THE    HOUSEKEEPER INCIDENTS. 

Port  Eoyal,  Ya.,  Feb.  12,  1S~. 

Dear  S.  —  I  hasten  to  remove  your  apprehensions  respect- 
ing my  unwonted  silence.  I  have  indeed  been  ill,  as  you  sur- 
mise ;  but  am  now,  however,  rapidly  convalescing,  indeed,  am 
almost  well.  I  ride  out  daily,  and  am  delighted  with  the 
balmy  air,  mild  sky,  and  the  indications  of  an  early  spring, 

Rosalie  has  been  very  attentive  during  my  illness,  and  has 
allowed  Mima  to  be  with  me  almost  constantly,  at  no  trifling 
inconvenience  to  herself.  Poor  Mima !  she  is  the  image  of 
despair,  —  looking  so  sad  and  heart-broken!  Rosalie  has  no 
patience  with  her,  and  says  she  is  wilful. 

Mrs.  Briarly,  the  "Willow  Creek  housekeepei',  was  sent  for 
the  next  week  after  Cleopatra  left,  as  Rosalie  found  the  care 
too  great  for  her  health.  The  latter  insists  that  my  sickness 
was  caused  by  brooding  over  the  fate  of  Cleopatra,  and,  in- 
deed, by  her  frequent  reference  to  the  poor  slave,  it  would 
seem  that  uneasy  thoughts  are  not  entire  strangers  to  her 
own  mind. 

"  What  an  idea ! "  she  exclaimed  this  morning,  in  my 
room,  "  that  object's  telling  me  we  shall  meet  at  the  judg- 
ment !     Impudent,  wasn't  it  ?  " 


COUSIN    franck's    uousehold.  179 

"  I  suppose  she  spoke  the  simple  truth,"  I  replied. 

"  You  do  ?  Then  you  think  our  servants  have  real,  bona 
fide  souls ! " 

"  Certainly,  I  have  not  a  doubt  that  they  have  souls  as 
really  as  ourselves." 

"  Well,  if  I  really  thought  so,"  replied  Rosalie,  musingly, 
"  it  would  spoil  all  my  pleasure  in  owning^  servants.  But  I 
do  not  believe  people  generally  think  so.  Here,  just  let  me 
read  this  advertisement  in  the  North  Carolina  Standard : 

"'Twenty  Dollars  Reward. — Ran  away  from  the 
subscriber,  a  negro  woman  and  two  children ;  the  woman  is 
tall  and  black,  and  a  few  days  before  she  went  off  Ihiirnt  her 
with  a  hot  iron  on  the  left  side  of  her  face  ;  I  tried  to  make 
the  letter  M,  and  she  kept  a  cloth  over  her  head  and  face,  and 
a  fly  bonnet  on  her  head,  so  as  to  cover  the  burn ;  her  chil- 
dren are  both  boys ;  the  oldest  is  in  his  seventh  year ;  he  is 
a  mulatto,  and  has  blue  eyes  ;  the  youngest  is  black,  and  is  in 
his  fifth  year.  The  woman's  name  is  Betty,  commonly  called 
Bet.  MiCAjAH  Ricks. 

<"Nash  County, ,  18—.' 

"  There,  does  that  look  as  if  people  believed  the  blacks  had 
souls?" 

"It  certainly  does  not,"  I  replied.  "One  would  hardly 
wish  a  dog  treated  so  brutally." 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Rosalie ;  "  but,  coz,  I  hope  you'll 


180  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

remember  we   Virginians   do  not  indulge  in  such  cruelty. 
But  see  this,  in  the  "Wilmington  Advertiser: 

" '  $100  will  be  paid  to  any  person  who  may  apprehend  and 
safely  confine  in  any  jail  in  this  State,  a  certain  negro  man, 
named  Alfred.  And  the  same  reward  wiU  be  paid,  if  satis- 
factory evidence  is  given  of  Ms  having  been  hilled.  He  has 
one  or  more  scars  on  one  of  his  hands,  caused  by  his  having 
been  shot.  The  Citizens  of  Onslow,' 

"  And  here's  another  like  it,  directly  under  it : 

"  *  Ran  away,  my  negro  man,  Richard.  A  reward  of  $25 
will  be  paid  for  his  apprehension,  dead  or  alive.  Satisfac- 
tory proof  will  only  be  required  of  his  being  killed.  He 
has  with  him,  in  all  probability,  his  wife,  Eliza,  who  ran  away 
from  Col.  Thompson,  now  a  resident  of  Alabama,  about  the 
time  he  commenced  lus  journey  to  that  State. 

DuRANT  H.  Rhodes.' 

"Yes,  yes,  they  are  brutes  fast  enough,"  said  Rosalie,  "if 
public  opinion  is  any  criterion  in  the  case.  In  fact,  coz,  no 
one  thing  could  undermine  our  domestic  institution  faster 
than  the  thought  that  our  slaves  really  have  souls." 

"  As  inconsistent  as  such  a  belief  may  seeni  with  their 
practice,"  I  answered,  "  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  our  Southern 
friends  admit  that  their  servants  have  souls  ;  but  it  does  seem 
as  if  this  thought,  if  seriously  dwelt  on,  would,  as  you  say, 


^ 


COUSIX      FUANCk's      IlOLStllOLD.  181 

undermine  the  whole  system.  For  if  they  have  souls,  they 
should  not  be  treated  as  brutes.  If  they  have  souls,  they  are 
moral  and  accountable  beings ;  God  is  their  Sovereign,  and 
no  one  can  with  impunity  come  between  Ilim  and  them. 
If  they  have  souls,  to  them  belong  the  offers  of  salvation, 
—  for  them  Christ  died,  and  they  are  as  dear  to  him  as  any 
others  of  our  fallen  race.  If  they  have  souls,  how  fearful  to 
withhold  from  them  the  Word  of  God,  and  cause  them  to 
grope  their  way  in  darkness  down  to  the  gates  of  death  and 
eternal  sorrow." 

"  Do  not  moralize,  please,"  said  Rosalie.  "  I  do  not  wish 
to  think  they  have  souls.  It  only  increases  the  diflaculty  to 
think  so,  for,  if  we  are  ever  so  conscientious  in  the  matter,  we 
cannot  emancipate  them  unless  we  send  them  from  the  State, 
or  colonize  them.  I  see  no  other  w^ay  than  to  put  all  scruple 
aside  and  live  as  we  have  lived." 

At  this"  moment  who  should  come  bustling  in,  but  Isabel 
T.,  the  Senator's  daughter. 

"  I've  run  in  to  tell  you,"  she  said,  "  that  papa  and  I  are 
going  to  Grove  Hill  the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  we  wish 
you  to  accompany  us ;  you  will  go,  won't  you  ? "  addressmg 
Rosalie  and  myself. 

Rosalie  replied  that  she  should  be  too  much  engaged  to 

leave.    ^ 

"  But  Pocahontas  is  going,"  said  Isabel ;  "  I've  promised 
myself  so  all  along:  You  are  so  much  engaged,  Rosalie,"  she 
continued,  "  pray,  what  so  occupies  you  ?  Bring  your  work 
along  with  you." 

16 


182  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

"Curious  work  it  is,"  returned  Rosalie,  laughing ;  "if  you 
must  know,  it's  maich-maJdng.  I'm  going  to  marry  Sim  to 
Martha." 

"  Pshaw,  Rosalie ! "  exclaimed  Isabel,  "  I  wouldn't  be 
guilty  of  such  a  thing!  Do  leave  the  poor  things  alone. 
What  !  marry  old  uncle  Sim  to  young  and  spriglitly  Martha ! 
"Why,  she  is  mourning  for  Rafe,  yet.  What  do  you  suppose 
Mr.  Mackintosh  would  say,  if  he  knew  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  to  tell  tlie  truth,"  responded  Rosalie,  with  her  usual 
frankness,  "  I  had  pleasing  him  in  my  eye  when  I  first  planned 
it.  You  know  when  I  was  at  Mrs.  Gen.  Ringgold's,  he  told 
me  he  fancied  that  I  knew  just  nothing  at  all  about  house- 
keeping. I  took  it  as  a  challenge,  and  ever  since  I've  been 
studying  to  have  it  seen  that  I  am  jt  manager,  and  that  the 
servants  are  to  stand  around  when  I  am  at  home.  I  have 
only  half  completed  my  plans,  —  Juniper  is  married  to  Mima, 
and  Uncle  Sim  shall  marry  IMartha." 

"  Begging  your  pardon,  friend  Rosalie,"  said  Isabel,  "  I  do 
think  your  idea  of  housekeeping  most  ridiculous  !  Why,  you 
seem  to  forget  what  housekeeping  consists  in,  —  that  it  is 
simply  to  carry  the  keys,  and  give  out  things  from  the  store- 
room !  It  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  arranging  the 
servant's  domestic  relations." 

"O,  you  quit  instructing  me,  Bel,"  exclaimed  Rosalie,  pet- 
tishly ;  "  you'll  be  bringing  in  your  tuition  bill,  by  and  by.  I 
understand  what  I  am  about." 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  said  Isabel,  a  little  hurt,  "  but  you  will  go 
with  us,  please,  —  I've  just  received  a  letter-  from  Ruth,  via 


COUSIN    franck's    jiouseiiold.  183 

Grove  Hill,  informing  me  that  she  will  visit  me  on  her  way 
home.  She  i^j  now  reci'uiting  her  health  at  her  uncle's  in 
Lexington." 

"  I  positively  will  not  go,"  replied  RosaHe,  "  if  Ruth  is  to 
be  there.  I  have  no  sympathy  with  her  ineendiary  move- 
ments, indeed  I  have  not.  I  will  not  see  my  crazy  sister  at 
present,  —  disgracing  us  all,  and  making  herself  ridiculous, 
offending  against  the  laws  of  good  taste,  genteel  society,  and 
the  laws  of  the  State,  even.     I've  no  patience  with  her." 

"  O,  never  mind,  Rosalie,"  said  Isabel,  gently,  "  people  can 
no  more  think  alil^e  than  they  can  look  alike.  But  dear, 
good  Ruth  almost  converts  me  every  time  I  see  her;  as  Fer- 
dinand says,  her  theory  is  a  very  plausible  one.  But  I  must 
go;  —  I  have  to  take  leave  of  friends  and  prepare  for  my 
journey.  The  jaunt  will  be  of  great  service  to  you,  Pocahon- 
.tas ;  I  shall  make  sure  of  you,  for  I  have  your  promise, 
and  I  am  hoping  that  Rosalie  will  change  her  mind  and  ac- 
company us." 

"  But  we  ought  to  consult  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cameron,"  said  I. 

*'  O,  that  has  been  done,"  replied  Isabel ;  "  when  papa  and 
I  visited  them,  I  proposed  it,  and  they  approved."  and  in  a 
moment  the  lively  girl  was  gone. 

Mrs.  Briarly  came  in  soon  after,  with  her  key  basket  on 
her  arm ;  but  I  must  introduce  her  by  a  brief  description. 
She  is  somewhat  short  and  thick,  almost  dumpy  ;  in  looks  she 
is  a  paradox — 'liomely,  yet  handsome.  Her  eyes,  nose  and 
mouth  cluster  a  little  too  near  the  centre  of  her  face,  but  then 
a  peaceful,  kind  and  genial  expi'ession  lights  up  her  features, 


184  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

and  deludes  you  into  the  idea  that  they  are  really  beautiful. 
Her  face  is  like  a  glass  placed  over  her  heart,  and  you  feel 
that  a  single  glance  is  sufficient  to  enable  you  to  read  her 
character. 

She  has  come  to  occupy  quite  a  place  in  my  affections,  and 
Mima  tells  me  that  the  good  lady  "  sets  a  heap  of  store  by 
me."  Her  sympathies,  like  tendrils,  run  out  towards  every 
living  thing,  particularly  if  there  is  any  suffering  or  depriva- 
tion in  the  case ;  and  my  own  dear  mother  could  not  have 
watched  over  me  with  more  careful  solicitude  than  has  kind 
Mrs.  Briarly. 

On  this  slave  question  she  is  the  most  enlightened  person 
I  have  met,  not  even  excepting  Ruth,  —  having  the  result  of 
forty  years'  observation  and  experience  of  the  workings  of 
the  system,  stored  away  with  her  common -sense  reflections  in 
her  active  brain. 

"When  I  inquired  of  her  respecting  tlie  tragical  affair  at 
Willow  Ci'eek,  the  tears  started  into  her  eyes,  and  it  was  with 
some  effort  that  she  commanded  her  voice  to  reply. 

"  It  is  quite  a  little  history  from  the  first,"  she  said.  "  I 
must  begin  by  telling  you  something  about  one  who  was  very 
dear  to  me.  "When  I  became  housekeeper  at  "Willow  Creek, 
among  the  young  servants  put  under  my  care  to  train  for 
house  service,  was  a  pretty,  quiet  child,  of  gi-eat  beauty, 
named  Jane.  She  was  delicate  and  sensitive,  of  wonderful 
quickness  of  perception,  and  from  my  fu'st  acquaintance  with 
her  seemed  overwlu-lmned  with  the  thought  that  she  was  a 
slave.     It  was  not  that  she  had  been  liarsldy  treated  —  she 


COUSIN     FKAXCK's      UOUSElioLD.  185 

had  been  used  as  tenderly  as  any  otlier  slave,  but,  although 
only  eight  years  old,  she  felt  the  galling  chain  crushing  the 
blithesonieness  of  childhood.  And  in  jdace  of  the  frolic  and 
play  suited  to  her  years,  she  had  the  air  of  a  mature,  sedate, 
and  reflecting  little  woman.  I  took  her  into  my  heart,  poor 
dove  that  she  was,  and  cherished  her  with  a  mother's  love, 
for  I  found  her  an  orphan,  her  mother  having  died  of  grief 
when  her  father  was  sold. 

"  I  taught  her  day  by  day,  and  soon  she  could  read  to  me, 
and  could  sew  skilfully.  She  excelled  in  whatever  she  did, 
and  was  so  sweet  and  winning  that  my  life  became  bound  up 
in  hers.  I  used  to  think,  if  I  could  know  that  she  was  a 
Christian,  I  should  be  happy.  I  knew  that,  being  a  slave, 
she  could  not  look  forward  to  earthly  comfort,  and  hence  I 
was  the  more  anxious  that  she  should  make  sure  of  eternal 
life,  and  store  treasures  in  the  heavens.  But  m  tliis  I  was 
for  a  long  time  disappointed.  She  was  all  gentleness,  and 
very  attentive  to  what  I  said ;  she  read  her  Bible  daily,  as  I 
requested,  but  slavery  was  the  stumbling  block,  —  she  could 
not  get  reconciled  to  her  fate. 

"  At  length,  when  she  was  grown.  Juniper  was  sent  on  from 
the  North  Carohna  plantation.  His  ingenuity,  craftiness  and 
address  soon  won  for  him  a  situation  as  house  servant,  al- 
though he  had  a  bad  name  on  the  plantation  South. 

"  As  soon  as  he  saw  Jane  he  seemed  resolved  to  have  her 

for  his  wife ;  but  I  could  not  think  of  it,  and  watched  and 

warned  her  accordingly.     But  my  vigilance  was  useless,  and 

my  advice  disregarded.     My  darling,  on  whom  I  so  much 

16* 


186  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


doted,  who  had  for  so  many  years  nestled  in  my  heart,  she 
who  liad  ever  heen  so  gentle  and  yielding,  for  once  was  firm  ; 
she  was  fascinated — she  could  hear  me  no  longer  in  listen- 
ing to  the  marriage  proposals  of  Juniper. 

"  I  never  fully  gave  my  consent,  and  when  she  became  his 
wife,  it  was  like  the  shadowings  of  death  to  me ;  I  felt  that 
my  bird  had  fallen  into  the  snare  of  the  fowler  and  I  could 
only  forebode  evil. 

"  It  was  not  long  before  the  insinuating  Juniper  treated  her 
unkindly,  and  proved  himself  a  tyrant.  Then  it  was  that 
poor  Jane  sought  me  in  her  grief  and  heart-brokenness,  and 
wept  in  my  bosom.  She  felt  how  bitter  a  tiling  it  was  to  be 
the  slave  of  a  slave! 

"  But  the  new  grief,  so  grievous  to  be  borne,  sent  her  to 
the  Savioui-,  and  in  him  she  found  peace.  Juniper  was  al- 
most beside  himself  with  rage,  when  he  found  that  his  beau- 
tiful young  wife  was  a  Cliristian,  and  he  swore  he  would  root 
her  religion  out  of  her.  I  tried  to  sliield  her  from  the  storm, 
and  in  my  presence  the  wily  man  would  make  very  fair  pre- 
tenses, Avliile  the  enmity  was  all  the  wliile  rankling  in  his 
heart  —  for  as  soon  as  he  had  an  opportunity  unijcrceived, 
he  would  beat  and  torment  his  poor  wife  most  cruelly.  She 
could  not  give  uji  her  religion,  and  he  grew  worse  and  worse. 
lie  had  been  managed  by  an  overseer  who  was  eminently  a 
man  of  blool,  an<1,  in  his  imitative  zeal,  must  resort  to  bloody 
measures  to  gratify  his  hate.  He  threatened  his  wife,  if  he 
found  h<r  praying  wilhin  the  week,  it  should  be  at  tin'  jx'ril 
of  her  life.      But   i>()or  Jane  could  not  forego  her  sweet  sea- 


COUSIN    fuanck's    iiolseuold.  187 

pons  of  communion  with  her  compassionate  heavenly  Friend, 
whom  she  had  so  recently  found,  whom  she  loved  with  all  the 
ardor  of  a  first  love.  Like  the  Hebrew  captive,  she  sought 
Him  as  before. 

"  One  day  I  missed  her,  and  her  long  and  unaccountable 
absence  awakened  my  worst  fears.  Almost  frantic,  I  rushed 
here  and  there,  and  aroused  all  the  servants  in  the  search. 
At  length  we  found  her  hidden  in  the  garden  shrubbery, 
under  the  thick  branches  of  a  yew.  She  had  been  strangled 
for  her  faithfulness  to  her  Saviour.  Juniper  Avas  nowhere  to 
be  seen.  The  next  morning,  however,  he  made  his  appear- 
ance, as  smiling  and  flippant  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  He 
is  fearfully  hardened  in  his  wickedness,  and  it  is  not  safe  to  SHHih 
have  him  at  large.  But  my  darling,  martyred  Jane,  she  is 
at  rest  in  heaven. 

"  I  have  always  felt,"  said  Mrs.  Briarly,  "  that  I  would 
have  no  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter.  I  will  not  own  servants. 
My  father  had  a  great  many  slaves,  and  I  could  have  had  a 
portion  of  his  personal  property,  had  I  chosen  it,  but  I  pre- 
ferred a  life  of  toil  and  poverty.  At  my  request,  he  emanci- 
pated and  sent  to  Africa  some  of  the  servants  that  would 
have  fallen  to  me,  —  he  would  not  be  persuaded  to  free  all  of 
them. 

"  I  was  then  young,  scarcely  of  age,  and  yet  I  had  a  perfect 
loathing  of  the  system.  O,  thrice  happy  the  land  free  from 
this  curse  !  But  to  see  the  system  and  its  workings,  one 
must  put  himself  in  the  place  of  the  slave,  and  make  his  de- 
privations and  sufferings  his  own.     0,  I  have  seen  so  much. 


188  COUSIN      FRANCIv'S     IIOL  SICIIOLD. 


SO  much  to  make  me  heart-sick  of  slavery !  "  and  Mrs.  Briarly 
paused  and  looked  very  sad. 

"  Will  you  please  tell  me  some  of  the  things  you  have 
seen  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  scarcely  know  where  to  begin,"  she  replied.  "  But 
you  would  suppose  that  professing  Christians,  or,  at  least,  the 
ambassadors  of  Christ,  would  be  patterns  of  kindness  in  their 
treatment  of  slaves." 

*'  Certainly,"  said  I,  "  one  would  suppose  that  they  would 
seek  to  mitigate,  as  far  as  possible,  the  evils  naturally  inci- 
dent to  the  system,  and  render  the  lot  of  their  poor,  black 
brethren  as  comfortable  as  was  consistent  with  their  condi- 
tion." 

"  So  far  as  my  observation  extends,"  replied  Mrs.  Briarly, 
'•  this  is  far  from  being  the  case.  For  instance,  there  is  the 
clergyman  of  the  parish  in  which  I  passed  my  childhood. 
He  was  poor,  having  only  his  salary  and  the  use  of  the  par- 
sonage. He  did  not  own  any  servants,  but  hired  four,  —  a 
cook,  two  housemaids,  and  a  man  servant.  His  wife  was  a 
model,  every  one  said,  and  yet  she  was  ever  ready  to  find 
some  occasion  of  complaint  against  her  servants,  and  would 
exasperate  her  husband  to  punish  them  for  the  most  trivial 
offences. 

"  One  day,  finding  a  little  flour  and  dough  left  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  bread-pan,  she  flcAV  into  a  violent  passion  at  what 
she  called  the  waste  of  the  cook,  and  belabored  her  with  the 
keenest  reproaches,  and  as  soon  as  her  husband  returned 
home,  hastened  to  fill  his  ears  with  the  heinous  offence  of  the 


.^. 


COUSIN    fkaxck's    household.  189 

poor  cook,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  he  took  her  aside, 
and  cruelly  whipped  her  with  a  cowhide,  saying,  he'd  cut  her 
all  to  pieces,  he  would.  This  was  a  common  threat  with 
him.  His  poor  servants  used  to  say  of  him,  that  he  whipped 
worse  than  an  overseer.  They  Avere  in  constant  terror, 
dreading  to  oifend  him. 

"  On  one  occasion,  his  sei'vant  having  drawn  a  pail  of 
water,  at  the  request  of  a  neighbor's  servant,  who  was  lame 
with  the  rheumatism,  he  whipped  him  severely,  exclaiming, 

" '  Your  mistress  has  spoilt  you.  I'll  teach  you  not  to  be 
a  gentleman ;  you've  run  gentleman  long  enough.' 

"  And  yet  one  could  rarely  find  more  amiable,  affable  and 
generous  people  in  their  intercourse  with  their  parishioners, 
than  Avere  this  clergyman  and  his  lady.  There  is,  I  am  con- 
fident of  it,  something  in  the  very  nature  of  the  system,  Avhich 
petrifies  the  kindly  emotions  of  the  heart,  in  dealing  with  the 
slaves.  I  do  not  fully  understand  it,  but  persons  who  are 
kind  even  to  brutes,  often  prove  pei'fect  tyrants  towards  their 
oppressed  bretlu-en.  They  are  elegant  and  accomplished, 
often,  overflowing  in  hospitality  to  those  of  their  OAvn  rank, 
and  engaged  in  the  enterprise  of  religion,  but  complete  des- 
pots in  their  little  realm. 

"  As  to  myself,  I  know  that  my  native  disposition  is,  on  the 
whole,  kind  and  sympathizing,  but  I  have  always  been  afraid 
to  trust  myself  to  be  a  slave  owner,  in  view  of  such  exam- 
ples ;  I  have  feared  tliat  I  should  be  even  more  despotic  and 
cruel." 


''k 


190  COUSIN    franck's    iiouskiiold. 


"But  this  clergyman  and  Lis  wife  did  uot  own  slaves," 
said  I. 

"  It  was  all  the  same,"  rejoined  Mrs.  Briarly  ;  — "  they 
were  slaveholders  at  heart,  and  did  in  fact  purchase  slaves 
as  soon  as  they  were  able.  I  used  to  reason,  if  such  people, 
with  all  their  excellent  qualities  and  Christian  principle, 
were  so  perverted  by  slavery,  how  must  it  affect  me  ?  Such 
were  my  convictions  on  the  subject,  that  it  seemed  to  mc  that 
I  could  not  be  saved  if  I  had  aught  to  do  with  it." 

"  But  you  have  servants  under  you,  and  unavoidably  have 
a  great  deal  to  do  with  them,"  I  said. 

"Yes,  but  it  is  not  from  choice  —  I  will  not  partake  in  the 
spoils  of  slavery  —  I  will  not  be  enriched  by  tbem.  I  merely 
have  food  and  clothing  for  my  supervision,  and  it  is  my  daily 
prayer  that  in  all  my  intercourse  with  the  slaves,  I  may  win 
the  approbation  of  Ilim  whose  mission  to  this  world  provided 
so  wondrously  for  the  poor  and  the  suffering. 

"  But  there  is  no  part  of  the  system,"  she  continued,  "  more 
cruel  than  the  trade  in  slaves.  Here  all  the  ties  of  kindred 
and  affection  are  disregarded,  and  the  poor  creatures  are  torn 
asunder  as  if  they  were  indeed  brutes.  A  neighbor  of  my 
father's  had  a  house  servant  of  great  sprightliness  and  intelli- 
gence. Her  mistress  made  a  companion  of  her,  and  they 
appeared  more  like  intimate  Christian  friends,  than  mistress 
and  servant.  When  a  young  lady,  I  often  used  to  take  my 
needlework  and  run  in  and  sit  with  them  as  they  chatted  and 
sewed  in  the  little  parlor. 

"  One  day  I  was  thus  sitting  with  Mrs.  S.,  the  lady,  and 


COUSIN      FKAXCK's      nOUSKIlOLD.  191 

Rachel  the  servant,  —  the  babe  of  the  latter  was  playing  on 
the  floor  at  her  feet,  —  when  a  rap  was  heard  at  the  door. 
Rachel  ran  to  tlie  door,  and  in  bustled  a  business  man  in  a 
pilot  cloth  pea-jacket,  —  a  soul  driver,  with  the  ever-at-hand 
cowhide.  He  had  a  bill  of  sale,  which  he  handed  to  Mrs.  S. 
Rachel  knew  that  it  was  all  over  with  her  —  that  she  was 
destined  for  the  Southern  market,  and  fell  senseless  on  the 
floor.  Mrs.  S.  hung  over  her  in  an  agony  of  solicitude,  using 
means  for  her  restoration ;  and  when  she  was  brought  back 
to  a  consciousness  of  her  dreadful  fate,  both  mistress  and  ser- 
vant wept  in  each  other's  arms. 

"  The  drover  curled  his  lip  in  contempt,  as  he  saw  the  sin- 
gular affection  manifested  for  the  doomed  woman  by  the  lov- 
ing Mrs.  S. 

"  '  O,  Rachel,  I  cannot  have  you  go  ! '  she  exclaimed.  '  O, 
my  God,  let  this  cup  pass  ! ' 

*' '  Don't,  mistress,  don't  take  on  so  ! '  said  poor  Rachel ; 
*you  break  my  heart  —  it  doubles  my  grief  to  have  you  weep 
so.  You'll  be  mother  to  little  Henry,  I  know,*  she  added,  in 
her  paroxysm  of  sobbing,  as  she  took  up  her  babe  and  kissed 
it  again  and  again.  '  O,  must  I  leave  him  forever  ? '  and  her 
bursting  heart  choked  lier  utterance. 

" '  Come,  come,'  said  the  man,  grufily,  '  the  sooner  ye  stop 
this  ere  tune,  the  better.  You  may  as  well  know,  miss,  yer 
ole  man  is  bankrupt,  an'  has  been  ohleeged  ter  sell  this  ere 
woman.  Come,  be  a  movin','  said  he  to  Rachel,  at  the  same 
time  giving  his  cowhide  a  threatening  gesture.  In  vain  Mrs. 
S.  pleaded  that  he  let  her  remain  one  day  longer,  lliat  she 


192  COUSIN     FRANCk's     nOUSEIIOLD. 

might  take  leave  of  her  husband,  and  prepare  for  the  jour- 
ney. 

"  '  Couldn't  possibly  do't,'  said  the  drover ;  '  no  object.  I's 
got  my  gang  all  made  out,  an'  I'm  in  a  monstrous  hurry. 
Besides,  Miss,  all  your  indulgin'  '11  ony  make  matters  wuss. 
She  won't  git  no  sugar  tits  with  me,  —  but  I'll  tell  her  what, 
she'll  git  a  wallopin'  with  this  ere  cowskin,  if  she  makes  a 
fuss. 

" '  Don't  make  her  budget  too  big,  marm,'  added  he,  as 
Mrs.  S.  was  putting  up  some  little  comforts  for  Rachel ; 
'  she'll  hafter  travel  right  smart,  an'  I  can't  afford  to  have  her 
tote  much ! ' 

"Meanwhile  Rachel  nursed  her  babe  for  the  last  time, 
sobbing  in  her  broken-heartedness,  her  tears  fast  falling  on 
the  little  creature's  chubby  cheek. 

"'O,  if  I  could  only  see  my  husband  before  I  go! '  mur- 
mured she  at  length, 

"  '  Come,  come,'  said  the  man,  '  I'm  out  of  all  manner  of 
patience  with  these  ere  blubberin'  works.  Bless  my  soul 
and  body !  we  never  shall  git  off  at  this  ratg.  Down  with 
that  child,  you  lazy  wench,  and  come  along ! '  and,  suiting 
the  action  to  tlie  word,  he  gave  her  a  cut  across  her  cheek 
with  bis  whip.  Poor  Rachel  put  down  her  babe,  gazed  at  it 
a  moment  with  a  loving  look  of  grief  too  deep  for  tears  or  ut- 
terance even,  (lien,  taking  her  little  bundle,  tied  up  in  a 
checked  cotton  liandkerchief,  she  passively  followed  the 
drover. 

"Now,  this  is  only  one  case  out  of  thousands;  just  reflect 


COCSIN      FUAXCK's      IIOUdEIIOLD.  193 

that  thirty  and  forty  thousand  slaves  have  been  sold  from  thi9 
State  alone,  in  a  sinyle  year  !  Such  scenes  of  heart-rending 
woe  may  be  saiel  to  be  of  daily,  yes,  hourly  occurrence  with 
us.  Think  you  I  would  own  a  slave,  and  run  the  fearful  risk 
of  horridly  trading  in  flesh  and  blood  ?  But  we  need  not  go 
far  to  witness  scenes  of  suffering  caused  by  the  sale  of  slaves," 
she  continued;  "you  have  not  forgotten  Cleopatra's  case, — 
indeed,  you  were  so  absorbed  in  it,  you  knew  very  little  of 
the  griefs  of  Prince  and  Pomp  at  the  time  they  were  sun- 
dered. Come  with  me  to  the  servants'  prayer  meeting  to- 
night,—  it  will  do  us  good  to  hear  them  pray.  We  must 
keep  our  hearts  alive  by  constant  vigilance,  or  a  stupor  will 
creep  over  us  in  spite  of  every  principle  of  philanthropy  and 
religion." 

I  gladly  acceded  to  the  proposal,  and  at  the  deep  twiUght 
hour  we  sought  Martha's  cabin.  It  was  nearly  filled ;  and 
finding  a  seat  in  the  cornier  by  the  door,  we  seemed  to  be  un- 
observed. 

There  once  more  I  saw  blmd  Joseph,  sitting  near  Martha 
and  her  frolicksome  baby.  Rafe's  place  was  vacant;  it 
seemed  as  if  each  forebore  taking  it,  remembering  how  his 
soul  was  bowed  down  and  crushed  when  last  he  sat  there  at 
the  hour  of  prayer.  Prince  was  there,  looking  depressed 
and  desolate,  and,  as  before,  it  was  the  office  of  the  good  old 
patriarch  to  speak  words  of  consolation. 

"  De  days  will  not  alius  be  dark  wid  'flictions,  chillun," 
said  he,  "  'pend  on  it,  if  you  belong  to  de  fold  of  de  good 
Shepherd,  dare'll  l)c  a  time  of  great  joy.  I  knows,  'pears 
17 


194  COUSIN      FUANCk's      UOUSliUOI.D. 

like  dat  time  groat  while  comiii',  an'  sometimes  we  be  ready 
to  give  up  an'  say  it  wont  neber  come ;  but  it  will  come ;  de 
Lord  will  done  gader  his  people  dat  dey  may  lib  wid  him  an' 
go  no  more  out  foreber.  An'  you  fine  some  res'  no^■,'  in  tellin' 
him  your  strouljles,  au'  in  larnin'  of  him,  a^^'  he  done  give 
you  peace  when  you  done  trust  m  him,  like  de  little  chillun 
trustin'  in  deir  fader  an'  moder.  Dis  sher  is  ony  a  little  sip 
of  de  foretase  of  de  res'  an'  peace  of  heaven.  You  know 
right  smart  of  de  poor  slave  jjcople,  when  dey  can't  done  bar 
de  chain  no  longer,  dey  tries  to  be  free,  or  to  fine  a  good,  safe 
hidin'  place.  Des'  so  let  us  all  done  seek  to  be  free  in  Jesus, 
an'  liide  safe  in  him,  an'  if  we  will  ony  be  steadfas',  all  de 
worl'  can't  done  be  de  hinderin'  cause  to  dis  freedom,  —  dey 
cant  done  tear  us  from  dis  clef  of  de  Rock. 

"  Chillun,  we  has  great  many  griefs  an'  'flictions  to  bar, — 
dare  be  no  dispute  'bout  dat,  —  an'  if  dey  lead  us  to  'bide  in 
de  blessed  Jesus,  dey'll  be  oberruled  for  blessins.  My  own 
chillun,  dat's  kin  to  me,  gone,  all  gone,  —  sold!"  and  the 
tears  trickled  from  the  old  pilgrim's  sightless  orbs,  —  *'  sold 
long  ago !  an'  I'se  lef '  standin'  like  de  lone  fores'  tree.  An' 
I  knows  how  to  feel  for  you  when  your  kin  is  torn  'way.  It's 
des'  like  tearin'  limb  from  limb  —  des'  like  cuttin'  de  quivcrin' 
live  flesh  in  half,  an'  de  great  Fader  in  heaven  know  all  'bout 
it,  an'  O,  how  he  do  pity  his  poor  little  chillun  down  here, 
who  hab  such  tings  to  sutler.  lie  lub  us  ;  if  we  be  poor  slave 
people,  he  think  on  us  in  de  greatness  of  his  lub.  An'  how 
it  done  grieve  de  pitiful  Jesus  —  de  Man  of  Sorrors  an' 
'quainted  wid  grief — how  it  grieve  him  at  his  heart,  scio' 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  195 

dem  dat  lub  him  sufferin'  so  many  tings.  But  if  dey  ony 
cling  to  him,  if  dey  steadfas'  'bide  under  de  shadow  of  his 
wing,  dcy'U  be  safe  at  las'.  Neber  mine,  den,  if  dey  has 
notin'  dey  can  call  deir  own  in  dis  sher  worl',  —  dey's  got 
■what  is  a  tousan',  tousan'  times  better  —  de  portion  in  Jesus, 
an'  de  streasures  in  heaven.  Neber  mine  if  de  massas  be 
cruel  here,  an'  whips,  an'  brands,  an'  hunts,  an'  shoots  'em 
here,  —  dare  is  but  short  time  to  de  judgment,  an'  all  will  be 
made  right  dare.  Neber  mine  if  we's  torn  from  each  other 
here,  —  de  fader  from  de  chile,  an'  de  moder  from  de  babe, 
sm'  de  husban'  from  de  wife,  de  broder  from  de  sister, — what 
matter  if  we  is  treated  like  de  cattle,  an'  trodden  under  foot, 
an'  our  dead  bodies  no  good  coffins  nor  graves !  if  we  sleep 
in  Jesus,  he'll  call  us  up  from  de  dust,  as  members  of  his 
body,  at  de  las'  tnimp,  an'  Ave  shall  be  made  like  him — Jes' 
like  de  blessed  Jesus  —  dat  glorious!  Chillun,  I  done  read 
it  in  de  Holy  Book.  Den  what  matter  for  us  ?  Don't  men- 
tion dese  'flictions ;  dey  isn't  worth  a  thought  in  thinkin'  of 
de  glory  beyon' ;  but  when  de  great  Judge  make  'quisition 
for  hlood,  what  will  our  poor  massas  do  de7i?  How  ken  dey 
ever  answer  him?  Weep  for  'em,  chillun!  pray  for  'em!'' 
and,  overwhelmned  with  the  appalUng  thought,  the  voice  of 
weeping  was  heard  from  the  little  company.  Blind  Joseph 
wept  like  a  child ;  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  speak, 
and  then,  sinking  on  his  knees,  he  poured  out  his  soul  in 
prayer,  indescribably  pathetic,  reverential,  and  full  of  child- 
like faith  and  trust. 


196  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

0,  liis  prayers,  like  the  strong  wing  of  an  angel,  bear  you 
to  the  feet  of  the  Saviour,  and  in  the  hallowed  interview  you 
forget  all  else  save  the  earnest  petitions,  and  the  Almighty 
One  who  graciously  bends  his  listening  ear. 

Adieu, 

POCAHOXTAS. 


>- 


LETTER  XIII. 

AN  UNCOMFORTABLE  SITUATION. 

Port  Royal,  Va.,  Feb.  14,  18—. 

Dear  S.  —  Our  little  village  was  enlivened  to-day  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Doctor  and  Colonel  Cutts.  They  did  us  the 
honor  to  dine  with  us.  A  more  crest-fallen  knight  of  the 
cowhide  would  be  hard  to  conceive  of,  than  the  Colonel  when 
he  came  in.  With  a  hang-dog  air,  he  seemed  thoroughly 
used  up  by  his  late  prison  privations.  He  is  greatly  ema- 
ciated ;  his  sallow,  withered  skin  cleaves  to  his  gaunty  cheek 
bones,  so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  recognized  him. 
Through  dinner  he  was  mostly  silent,  and  could  scarcely  be 
prevailed  on  to  open  his  mouth,  save  to  bestow  eatables,  wliich 
he  did  at  a  most  alarming  rate.  We  were  for  the  time  in- 
debted to  the  Doctor  for  the  particulai-s  respecting  his  rescue. 
It  appears  that  he  found  him  half  fed,  half  clad,  in  a  misera- 
ble pig-sty  of  a  cell,  designed  for  negroes. 

"  It's  about  as  much  as  a  man's  life  is  worth  to  come  in 
sight  of  such  a  place,"  he  said,  "  and  the  only  mystery  is,  how 
the  Colonel  managed  to  keep  body  and  soul  together."  After 
giving  a  minute  description  of  the  Colonel's  cell,  a  damp 
etivcd  hole  of  filth  and  vermin,  he  went  on  to  say  that  he 
17* 


198  COUSIN     FRANCK'S     IIOUSEUOLD. 

arrived  at  Ilartland  just  iu  time  to  prevent  the  Colonel  from 
being  carried  off  by  a  slave-trader.  It  seems  that  Bill  Tuggs 
was  in  the  jailor's  room,  having  bartered  for  the  supposed 
runaway,  when  the  Doctor  entered.  It  required  some  skill 
and  address  to  "  prove  "  that  the  Colonel  was  not  "  property ; " 
when  that  was  done,  it  only  remained  to  "  pay  charges  and 
take  him  away." 

"  Bless  my  soul  and  body ! "  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  as  he 
recounted  particulars,  "I  never  was  so  shocked  in  my  life — 
such  cool  work  made  of  trading,  as  if  the  Colonel  was  a  slave 
and  no  mistake  !  Bill  Tuggs  had  him  in  his  clutches,  and  I 
had  my  match  to  get  him  out.  But  here  Ave  have  him  at  last, 
'  safe,'  if  not  very  '  sound.'  I  reckon  you  won't  be  in  a  hurry 
to  hunt  niggers  for  me  again,  ha !  ha !  "  chuckled  he,  turning 
to  the  discomfitted  Colonel. 

That  individual  shook  his  head,  without  raising  his  eyes, 
and  muttered  something  about  "  making  tracks  for  Rokesby  in 
a  little  less  than  no  time." 

When  at  length  he  had  "  measurably  "  dined  and  drank  off 
a  glass  of  wine,  his  spirits  seemed  to  revive  a  little,  and  he 
sliowed  a  disposition  to  be  communicative.  He  began  to  feel 
himself  something  of  a  hero,  and  jiroceeded  to  enlighten  us  as 
to  his  advent ui'es. 

"I  never  was  so  dished  in  all  my  life,"  he  began.  "Ye 
see,  yisterday  mornin',  as  soon  as  'twas  cleverly  light,  I  heered 
a  master  racket  overhead,  and  putty  quick  I  heered  Bill 
Tuggs,  jest  as  plnin  as  day.  '  ITello  ! '  sez  he,  '  Mr.  Jailor, 
got  any  stock  on  lumd  ?  ' 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  199 

" '  I  reckon  so,'  said  the  jailor,  '  I've  got  one  putty  likely 
specimen,  some  oldish,  and  a  little  mite  ailin'.' 

"'What's  the  matter,  —  got  the  rheumatiz  in  the  damp 
cell?'  said  Bin. 

" '  0,  I  reckon  so,'  said  the  jailor,  *  but  take  my  word  for't, 
he'll  git  as  limber  as  wilier,  come  to  put  him  on  the  road. 
TVTiat'll  you  give  for  him  ?  come,  make  us  an  offer  ! ' 

"  '  Lectle  mor'n  notliin','  said  Bill, '  You  see  its  putty  resky 
business  —  this  ere  buyin'  up  old  worn-out  niggers;  it  won't 
pay.  I've  nigh  upon  swung  my  arms  off,  whipping  up  such 
old  truck  afore  now ;  and  I've  heckelled  'em  with  cat's  claws 
till  they  was  all  a  gore  of  blood ;  but  it  wan't  a  bit  of  use  ; 
they'd  hang  back  and  hinder  the  gang,  mighty  wilted  and 
limpsy  like  ;  and  ye  see  'twon't  pay !  It's  monstrous  resky 
business,  —  this  ere  buyin'  up  sick  niggers  ;  like  as  not  they'll 
up  and  die  on  your  hands,  and  that's  a  dead  loss,  you  know. 
So  I  reckon  on  the  whole  I  won't  buy  him,'  said  Bill,  '  he'll 
be  putty  sure  to  die.' 

"  '  No  danger  of  that ! '  said  the  jailor,  '  he'll  tough  it  out, 
I'll  warrant  him ;  he's  of  the  real  durable  kind,  and  all  is,  if 
he  gives  signs  of  failin',  you  can  send  him  to  that  air  Doctor's 
college  they  tells  of,  where  they  buy  old  sick  niggers  to  ex- 
pei-iment  upon.  They'd  give  you  a  hundred  dollars  for  him 
if  he  was  sick.     Come,  what'll  you  give  ?  ' 

" '  Well  bein'  it's  you,  and  we  is  old  cronies,'  said  Bill,  I 
reckon  I'll  take  him  as  a  venter,  I  won't  stand  about  it,  I'll 
give  you  ten  dollars,  or  my  old  boss,  here?' 

"'Ha!  ha!  ha!'  said  the  jailor,  'old   rackabones    alive 


200  COUSIN    franck's    uouseuold. 


yet !  Well,  bein'  it's  you,  I  won't  stand  about  it  neither.  I'll 
take  the  old  boss.  We'll  balance  one  old  truck  agin  tother, 
and  call  it  a  bargain ;  though  I  shall  have  to  whistle  for  my 
jail  fees.' 

"  '  I  must  tell  you,'  said  Bill,  *  the  old  boss  has  seen  his  best 
days — he's  putty  much  done  for  it;  he  hain't  got  no  teeth, 
an'  you'll  have  to  fat  him  on  meal ;  then  you  can  jockey  him 
off  for  a  good  round  hundred.' 

"'I  shouldn't  wonder,'  said  the  jailor,  'an'  uncle  Cuffee 
down  there,  he's  got  the  rheumatiz  all  holler,  but  you  must 
dress  him  down  well  with  the  cowskin,  and  make  him  forgit 
the  old  pain  in  the  new!'  and  the  jailor  yaw-hawed  right 
out,  and  so  did  Bill. 

" '  Yes,'  said  Bill,  '  it  takes  me  to  dew  them  are  fixin's, 
I'll  git  him  in  a  cowhide  sweat ;  and  wash  him  down  well 
in  salt  and  water,  and  I'll  lay,  he'll  be  glad  tew  travel.' 

"Then  Bill  he  comed  down  to  my  cell  with  the  jailor  to 
look  at  his  new  property.  'How  d'ye  do.  Uncle  Cuffee,' 
said  he,  '  how  d'ye  find  yourself?  Come,  stir  yer  stumps, 
let's  see  how  yer  built,'  and  he  gin  me  a  blisterin'  cut  with 
his  whip  that  made  me  jump  for  pain.  '  Why  hi !  old 
boy,'  says  he,  '  some  life  to  you  yet,  I  guess.  Where's  you 
raised ;  whose  nigger  be  you  ?  ' 

"  When  I  tell'd  him  I  was  a  regular  born  Yankee,  an'  no- 
body's nigger,  he  laughed  fit  to  kill.  And  says  T,  'I'm  over- 
seer Cutts,  Rokesby,  an'  I've  seen  you  a  dozen  times ! ' 

"*  Wal,  it's  a  fact,'  said  Bill,  considerable  struck  up,  'if  you 
warn't  so  nation  nigg'ry,  I'd  vow  you  did  look  and  talk  like 


COUSIN    fraxck's    iiouskiiold.  201 


him ;  but,  my  sakes !  I  ain't  gwine  to  believe  niggers'  news. 
Ennyhow,  you're  tussled  in  liere,  safe  and  sound,  and  if  you 
are  kidnapped,  you'll  find  'twou't  make  no  sort  of  odds.  So 
jest  one  day  more,  and  you  must  pull  foot  for  the  South 
market.  Be  gittin' yerself  well  limbered  between  times  — 
you'll  hafter  be  as  spry  as  a  cat ; '  and  off  he  went,  to  take  a 
glass  of  brandy  with  the  jailor.  But  in  the  midst  of  my 
despair,  putty  quick  who  should  bustle  in,  but  my  friend  the 
Doctor  ?  and,  sakes  alive !  I  almost  jumped  out  of  my  skin, 
for  joy ! "  . 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 

P.  S.     February  15.     The  Colonel  left  for  Eokesby  this 
morning,  and  the  Doctor  for  his  Florida  plantation. 


LETTER    XIV. 

GBOVE     HILL. 

Grove  Hill,  Va.,  March  2,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Since  my  last,  I  have  taken  a  two  days'  journey 
to  Grove  HiU.  Not  to  weary  you  with  the  details,  I  will 
introduce  you  at  once  to  the  delightful  country  seat  of  Sena- 
tor T. 

It  is  a  fine,  old  stone  edifice,  built  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago,  by  an  ancestor  who  figured  in  colonial  times  as 
one  of  the  king's  seven  counsellors. 

I  am  in  no  mood  for  tiring  you  with  a  systematic  descrip- 
tion, so  just  picture  to  yourself  an  English  establishment  of 
the  olden  time,  composed  of  a  lofty  main  building  and  two 
wings. 

Let  us  start  at  the  "  coach  ring,"  as  they  call  the  circular 
road  in  front  of  the  court  where  the  carriage  turns.  This 
coach  ring  encloses  a  grassy  plat  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  in 
the  centre  of  which  is  a  sundial,  elevated  on  a  stone  pedestal. 
A  flight  of  three  steps,  the  topmost  flanked  with  urns,  brings 
us  to  the  gravelled  walk  of  the  court,  leading  to  the  main 
building,  while  six  or  eight  steps  lead  us  to  the  vestibule, 
with  its  colonnade  and  mosaic  pavement.     Passing  this,  wo 


Wi 


C0U3IX    FR.OiXK'3     uolsehold.  203 

enter  the  centre  apartment  of  the  building — a  loftv,  spacious 
saloon,  extending  to  the  back  vestibule,  which  is  precisely 
similar  to  that  in  front.  Both  vestibules  resemble  beautiful 
bowers,  from  the  luxuriant  multifloras  trained  within  them. 

The  saloon  itself,  with  its  polished  floor,  mahogany  centre 
table,  four  ancient  sofas,  and  high-backed  chairs,  strikes  you 
as  unique  enough,  and  then  you  notice  that  its  walls  are 
garnished  with  the  Shaksperian  gallery,  elegantly  framed, 
and  old  family  portraits,  some  of  them  dating  back  two 
hundred  years. 

The  parlor,  that  home  room  of  the  family,  leading  from 
the  saloon  on  the  right,  is  furnished  with  a  large  fire  place, 
its  polished  marble  hearth  contrasting  prettily  with  the 
brightly-burnished  andirons  and  fender.  High  over  the 
mantel,  reaching  up  to  the  elaborately-wrought  cornice,  is 
displayed  the  family  coat  of  arms. 

Among  the  olden-time  curiosities  of  the  apartment,  are 
ancestral  portraits,  a  sideboard  and  a  harpsicliord.  Isabel 
has  an  elegant  piano  in  the  drawingroom,  but  the  harpsichord 
is  retained  in  the  parlor  for  its  hallowed  associations. 

From  the  parlor  windows  we  have  a  fine  view  of  a  portion 
of  the  extensive  garden,  with  its  terraces,  walks,  arbors, 
shrubber}-,  fruittrees,  and  adjoining  greenhouse. 

But  what  has  charmed  me  most  of  all,  is  the  park,  with  its 
choice,  magnificent  trees,  mimic  lake,  and  bounding  deer. 
This  part  of  the  establishment  took  me  quite  by  surprise, — 
I  had  not  dreamed  of  a  real  park  and  live  deer  in  this  part 
of  the  world.     I  can  never  tire  watching  the  lovely  -^awns  ; 


204  COUSIN    fraxck's    nousEnoLD. 

tliey  are  so  gentle,  and  jet  laalf  Avild,  lamb-like  and  bird-like. 
I  often  see  two  or  tbree  of  tliem  under  my  Avindow,  comfort- 
ably lounging  on  the  new  greensward,  and  after  gazing  at 
them  admiringly  a  long  time,  I  run  down,  saying,  "  Let  me 
just  pat  your  pretty  heads,  my  beauties  !  "  but  they  are  up 
and  away  with  beautiful  disdain,  untouched  by  my  finger- 
tips, in  spite  of  my  stealthiest  approach  and  nimblest  spring. 

It  is  fun  alive  to  see  the  deer  troop  through  the  old  jiark 
in  their  wild  glee,  clearing  the  high  fence  with  a  graceful 
bound.  In  their  greatest  speed,  when  they  approach  the 
fence  they  seem  almost  to  pause,  as  if  to  measure  its  precise 
height  with  the  eye,  and  then  they  are  over  mstantly,  expend- 
ing no  more  strength  than  just  to  clear  it  by  a  hair's  breadth. 
They  are  very  fond  of  the  berries  and  leaves  of  the  holly, 
and  as  there  are  quite  a  number  of  this  choice  evergreen  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  mansion,  it  is  amusing  to  watch  them  as 
they  feed. 

All  the  lower  branches  of  one  of  these  trees  having  been 
thoroughly  broAvsed,  a  certain  antlered  deer,  of  great  dignity, 
took  this  method  to  finish  his  repast:  Standing  under  the 
tree,  he  jumped  up  and  tangled  his  antlers  in  the  thick 
branchlets  and  boughs,  and  in  the  skirmish  necessary  to  dis- 
engage his  head,  quantities  of  leaves,  berries  and  twigs  fell 
to  the  ground,  and  presently  his  lordsliip  was  feeding  at  his 
leisure  ;  and  when  this  supply  was  gone,  uji  Avent  his  sturdy 
antlers  into  the  boughs  Jigain,  Avith  the  same  result  as  before. 

I  have  been  trying  till  I  am  tired,  to  solve  a  curious  scene 
I  Avitnessed  tlii?  morning,  but  must  own  myself  baffled:     A 


COL'SIN     FRAXCK'3     IIOL'SEHOLD.  205 

large  company  of  dcur,  lliirty  or  forty  in  nuiaber,  formed  a 
circle.  They  seemed  to  be  engaged  in  consultation.  Pres- 
ently two  of  them,  as  if  chosen  out  of  the  herd,  started  off 
on  a  race,  and  with  incredible  swiftness  sweeping  around  in 
a  wide  circuit,  came  back  to  their  companions.  After  a 
moment,  two  others  performed  the  same  feat.  It  may  be  it 
was  a  trial  of  fleetness,  and  that  they  award  either  gold 
medals  or  golden  opinions  to  the  winner. 

By  the  way,  Senator  T.  has  a  race  course,  where  some  of 
his  horses  are  exei'cised  and  trained  for  the  races.  I  do  not 
know  as  he  frequents  the  races  himself,  but  he  sometimes 
sends  on  his  horses,  and  has  been  a  winner,  as  the  massive 
silver  pitcher  standing  on  the  sideboard,  testifies.  It  is  not 
as  customary  as  formerly  for  gentlemen  to  attend  the  race- 
courses, but  many  forward  their  horses  by  agents  or  servants.. 
One  morning  when  the  horses  were  exercising,  Isabel  and  I 
took  the  race  course  in  our  walk.  It  is  a  circular  road,  just 
one  mile  in  circumference,  on  a  pei'fectly  level  space  of 
ground.  It  was  an  exciting  scene,  three  fine  horses,  side  by 
side,  roused  to  the  contest  with  whip  and  spur,  each  straining 
every  nerve  to  be  foremost.  The  Senator  was  there  giving 
directions,  but  it  was  only  an  every -day  affair,  and  there  were 
no  spectators,  save  indeed  the  groom,  Isabel  and  myself.  At 
the  first  "  heat "  I  was  pleased  to  see  the  sport,  but  when  I  re- 
flected that  the  fine  creatures  were  forced  to  this  combat  of 
fleetness  by  whip  and  steel,  and  that  horse-racing  on  a  wager 
was  no  better  than  any  other  form  of  gambling,  —  that  it 
lamed,  maimed  and  killed  outright  many  noble  animals,  and 
18 


206  COUSIN    kuaxck's    iiousiuiold. 

encouraged  indolence,  profanity  and  intemperance,  —  I  waa 
glad  to  accede  to  Isabel's  "  Shall  we  go  ? "  as  they  were 
preparing  for  a  second  heat,  choosing  rather  to  watch  the 
deer  at  their  play  than  the  coursers  at  their  toih 

Isabel  and  myself  have  each  a  fine  saddle-horse  whenever 
we  choose  to  ride,  and  you  may  be  sui-e  we  enjoy  it  highly. 
These  horses  are  spirited,  yet  gentle,  and  so  well  trained  that 
we  can  open  and  shut  the  park  gates,  while  mounted,  without 
thci  least  inconvenience.  Every  fine  day  we  scour  the  park, 
always  finding  something  new  to  admire.  Spring  is  now 
rising  from  the  grave  of  winter.  The  leaves  and  flowers, 
imprisoned  in  their  little  scaly  cells,  jieep  out,  like  Noah's 
dove,  to  assure  themselves  if  yet  the  cold  that  has  prevailed 
upon  the  earth  has  disappeared.  Violets  and  hyacinths  are 
blossoming,  making  redolent  nooks  and  borders,  and  grassy 
banks.  And  the  birds  —  "you  ought"  to  see  and  hear  them. 
There  is  the  Virginia  Redbird,  —  Tanagra  rubra  I  think  is  his 
name,  —  and  a  trim,  soldier-like  little  gentleman  he  is,  too, 
in  liis  brilliant  uniform.  Mayhap  he  deems  himself  a  king, 
for  every  morning  quite  early  he  stations  himself  on  the 
finest  holly,  and  rings  out  his  joyous,  merry  note,  which 
sounds  much  like  — 

"  Singeth  the  spring  time, 
Happy  am  I ! 
Wiio  of  tlic  songsters 
Can  with  me  vie  ?  " 

Perched  on  the  glossy  evergreen,  whose  leaves  and  berries 
contrast  so  beautifully,  Mr.  Redbird  c(;rtainly  shows  liis  fine 


COUSIN    kuanck's    nuvsiiiioiAy.  2U7 

taste  in  selecting  such  a  site  for  the  proclamation  of  his 
matin  song. 

Robin  Redbreast,  that  fastidious  little  traveller  who,  like 
many  otliers,  demurs  at  our  Northern  winter,  is  now  topping 
off  hybernating  with  us.  He  is  evidently  gettmg  uneasy,  — 
no  doubt  visions  of  his  Northern  home  float  in  his  fancy. 
He  remembers  the  shady  maple  where  the  breezes  swayed 
the  snug  cradle-nest  of  his  infancy,  and  often  turning  to  Mrs. 
Robin,  he  seems  to  ask,  in  his  twitter  dialect,  "  Don't  you 
think  'tis  most  time  to  go,  love  ?  "  But  day  after  day  they 
still  linger  about  the  budding  multifloras,  and  by  the  yellow 
jasmine,  quite  well  aware  that  wliile  Old  Virginia  is  joying 
in  its  balmy  air  and  bursting  flowers,  the  fields  and  gardens 
of  NcAV-England  still  lie  beneath  the  long  winter's  accumu- 
lations of  ice  and  snow.  The  Senator  will  not  permit  a  gun 
to  be  fired  on  his  premises,  or  a  bird  to  be  killed.  The  blithe 
little  songsters  appreciate  his  kindness,  and  make  ever  so 
many  happy  homes  in  his  shrubbery  and  shade  trees.  In 
the  garden  alone,  I  counted  nearly  forty  of  these  pretty  habi- 
tations, now  tenantless,  built  last  year. 

Life  on  a  plantation  would  soon  get  to  be  lonely  and  irk- 
some, were  it  not  for  the  occasional  interruptions  of  company. 
You  have  become  familiar  with  all  the  antiquities  and  curi- 
osities within  doors,  and  without  you  have  only  the  voices  of 
nature ;  and  as  these  are  repeated  day  after  day,  they  seem 
like  the  sound  of  the  ever-floAving  brook,  full  of  melody,  but 
monotonous,  and  you  long  for  something  to  break  the  same- 
ness.    In  short,  you  lung  for  nearer  neighbors.     But  Grove 


208  COUSIN    frakck's    household. 

Hill  seems  to  be  a  fjivored  resort  of  company,  considering  its 
seclusion.  Scai'cely  a  week  passes  without  visits  from  friends 
of  tlie  family.  Among  these  visitors  have  been  some  Vir- 
ginia gentlemen  of  the  old  school,  and  the  Senator  has 
appeared  very  hapjiy  in  their  society.  Indeed,  it  does  one's 
heart  good  to  see  how  courtly,  kind  and  brotherly  they  are. 
The  fund  of  talk  called  forth  on  all  sides  is  perfectly  enor- 
mous. Ancestral  recollections  are  among  the  most  favorite 
topics  adverted  to,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  one  cannot 
avoid  a  deep  interest  in  their  recital.  I  will  give  you  a  re- 
hearsal resjjecting  Colonel  Bird : 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Virginia,  the  James  River 
planters  were  much  more  wealthy  than  those  residing  on  the 
Rappahannoc.  For  instance,  Colonel  William  Bird  owned 
all  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Richmond,  besides  a  tract 
of  country  in  North  Carolina,  extending  twenty-four  miles  on 
both  sides  of  the  Roanoke.  This  Colonel  Bird  was  a  distant 
relative  of  the  Senator's  family.  He  was  very  handsome, 
courtly  in  his  manners,  and  caused  quite  a  sensation  while 
visiting  in  England.  When  stopping  in  London,  he  was  in- 
troduced to  a  club  composed  mostly  of  noblemen.  They 
were  gambling ;  and  at  length  a  certain  Duke,  taking  a  box 
of  dice,  said, 

""Will  any  gentleman  accept  the  bet  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  ?  "  passing  round  to  each  one  of  his  companions. 

No  one  accepted  the  bet ;  the  risk  was  too  great.     Ho 
came  last  of  all  to  Colonel  Bird,  and,  for  form's  sake,  said, 

"  Colonel  Bird,  will  you  accept  the  bet  ?  " 


COUSIN      Fli.VXClv's      IIULSKIIULD.  209 

"  I  will,"  promjjtly  replied  that  gentleman. 
The  dice  were  thrown,  and  the  Colonel  from  the  Virginia 
colony  was  the  winner.  Tliis  was  duly  announced,  but  the 
game  went  on  just  as  if  no  loss  had  happened  on  the  part  of 
the  Duke,  until  the  company  broke  up  fur  the  night,  when 
that  dignitary,  coming  up  to  Colonel  Bird,  thus  addressed 
him: 

"  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  here  before. 

"  It  is  my  first  visit  to  your  club,"  replied  the  Colonel. 

"Then  you  may  not  be  accpiainted  with  our  regulations," 
said  his  grace. 

"  That  is  true,"  replied  the  Colonel ;  "  I  know  nothing  of 
the  rules  of  this  club." 

"  Then,  sir,"  said  the  Duke,  "  before  further  business  can 
be  transacted  between  us,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  in- 
form you  that  one  of  our  rules  is  to  this  effect,  that  no  one 
shall  accept  a  bet  unless  he  can  prove  that  he  possesses  suffi- 
cient to  pay  it  in  case  he  is  the  loser ;  if  one  does  accept  a 
bet  in  these  circumstances,  if  he  is  the  winner,  he  forfeits  the 
sum  he  would  otherwise  receive." 

"A  very  just  and  wise  regulation,"  rejoined  the  Virginian  ; 
"  but  I  am  not  anxious  that  the  business  be  settled  to-night ; 
any  other  time  will  do  as  well." 

"  You  mistake  me,  sir,"  said  his  grace ;  "  it  is  our  invari- 
able custom  to  despatch  business  of  this  sort  on  the  spot." 

"  But,"  said  Colonel  Bird,  "  I  am  a  stranger,  and  have  no 
proof  with  me  of  my  capability  to  discharge  the  obligation, 
18* 


^ 


210  COUSIN    franck's    household 

had  I  been  the  loser  instead  of  the  winner.  My  carriage  and 
horses  are  not  here,  or  I  might  send  to  the  city  to  obtain  evi- 
dence respecting  myself  satisfactory  to  you." 

"  My  carriage  and  horses  are  at  your  service ;  send  them 
where  you  choose,"  said  the  Duke. 

"  Thank  you,"  repHed  the  Colonel ;  "  I  accept  your  gen- 
erous offer,  and  will  forthwith  write  to  my  banker  in  London." 
Then,  seating  himself  by  the  table,  he  penned  the  following 
note  to  his  banker: 

"  "Will  you  pay  to  Colonel  William  Bird,  of  Virginia,  his 
order  for  £10,000  at  sight? 
"  Answer  by  the  bearer." 

This  was  carried  to  the  banker  by  the  Duke's  liveried 
servants,  who  found  him  in  his  night  quarters. 

After  being  aroused,  and  having  read  the  note,  the  old 
banker,  supporting  himself  on  his  elbow,  wrote,  on  the  back 
of  the  note : 

"  I  will  pay  to  Colonel  "William  Bird,  of  "Virginia,  his  order 
for  £10,000  at  sight,  or  his  order  for  ten  times  £10,000. 

"  Signed, ,  Banker. 

""West  End,  London." 

The  horses  flew  back,  bearing  the  important  information 
to  the  Duke,  who,  on  receiving  it,  coolly  wrote  an  order  on 


md 


COUSIN    fuanck's    household.  211 

his  own  banker  for  the  amount  of  the  bet,  and  gave  it  to  the 
Colonel. 

This  story  the  Colonel  used  to  tell  with  great  eclat,  adding, 
"  "What  times  I  had  in  England  on  that  ten  thousand  pounds  ! 
Spent  every  penny  of  it,  bless  me  ! " 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    XV. 

RUTH. 

Grove  Hill,  Va.,  April  18,  18 — . 
Dear  S.  —  At  last,  dear  Ruth  has  come.  Isabel  and  I 
have  scarcely  eat  or  slept  for  a  week  past ;  every  ride  we 
have  hoped  to  meet  her,  coming ;  and  the  carriage  has  been 
despatched  to  the  ferry,  six  miles  distant,  at  stage  hours,  with 
the  regularity  of  the  mail,  for  several  days.  The  dear  girl, 
how  she  realizes  my  ideal  of  a  heroine !  She  actually  seems 
taller  than  before,  —  as  if  her  beautifully-turned  head  were 
lifted  up  more  princess-like  by  the  lofty  moral  consciousness 
within.  The  hours  have  flown  swift  winged  since  her  arrival, 
and  I  have  almost  forgotten  to  write ;  but  of  late  I  have 
observed,  as  we  have  rambled  about  the  old  park,  and  sought 
out  its  charming  nooks  and  beautiful  groves,  that  a  deeper 
shade  of  sorrow  has  veiled  the  quiet  gladness  of  Ruth's  spirit. 
She  evidently  realizes  more  intensely  than  ever  before,  that 
she  is  in  a  land  of  heart-broken  captives.  She  may  truly  be 
said  to  feel  for  those  in  bonds  as  bound  with  them ;  and  I 
cannot  doubt  that  her  absorbing  sympathy  for  the  suffering 
has  for  a  long  time  been  undermining  her  health. 

One  mild,  moonlit  evening,  Ruth,  Isabel  and  myself  were 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  213 

sitting  on  the  steps  of  the  back  vestibule,  inhaling  the  fra- 
grant breath  of  the  multiflora,  and  now  and  then  singing 
some  phiiiitive  melody,  wlien  a  dark  form  was  seen  skulking 
in  the  shadows.  I  invohmtarilj  drew  back,  Ruth  remained 
sitting,  and  Isabel,  drawing  herself  up  to  her  full  height, 
asked,  in  a  firm,  decided  tone,  "  AVho's  there  ?  " 

"  It's  ony  me,"  said  a  sad  voice. 

"  Wlio  ?  Patsy  ?  Well,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  asked 
Isabel,  firmly. 

The  dark  figure  approached.     It  was  a  slave  mother,  with 
a  baby  hugged  close  to  her  bosom. 

"  How's  this.  Patsy  ?  "  said  Isabel,  severely,  "  why  are  you 
not  down  to  your  cabin  at  the  quarters  ?  " 

"  Please  to  b'lieve  me.  Miss,  —  de  overseer  is  dat  cross ;  he 
done  say  I  shouldn't  nurse  my  baby  but  onct  to-day,  an'  cause 
I  done  did  it  twice,  he's  gwine  to  whip  me ;  an'  de  chile  gits 
amose  perished  to  death  between  times." 

"  0,  you  hush  complaining,"  said  Isabel ;  "  go  directly  back 
to  the  quarters,  and  let  me  hear  no  more  of  this ;  "  and  the 
poor  woman,  seeing  there  was  no  appeal,  pressing  her  baby 
yet  closer  to  her  heart,  moved  off"  with  a  languid  and  unwil- 
ling step.  Isabel  stepped  into  the  house,  and  despatched  one 
of  the  servants  to  the  6verseer,  saying  that  he  would  be  ex- 
pected to  call  up  in  the  morning  for  further  orders. 

"  I  shall  tell  him  not  to  whip  Patsy,"  said  Isabel,  as  she 
returned  to  us  ;  "  and  she  shall  nurse  her  baby  twice  a  day. 
Poor  thing,"  she  continued,  "  I  was  loth  to  send  her  back ; 
but  she  would  get  her  death  of  cold  in  the  garden  this  chilly 


214  COUSIN      FRAXCIC'S      IIOLSEHOLD. 

night,  and  besides,  as  papa  says,  the  discipUne  of  the  planta- 
tion must  be  maintained." 

"  And  fear  is  the  only  incentive  the  system  has  to  incite 
plantation  slaves  to  exertion,"  remarked  Ruth. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Isabel,  "  it  is  so  ;  and  if  they  do  not  cringe 
and  bow  just  so  low,  these  unmerciful  overseers  lash  them 
until  they  do,  and  we  cannot  take  their  part,  lest  we  en- 
courage insubordination.  But  our  house  servants  are  in  a 
measure  moved  by  love  and  respect  for  us,  although  there  are 
instances  in  which  we  are  obliged  to  threaten  with  sale,  and 
this  they  fear  infinitely  more  than  whipping.  I  do  not  blame 
you,  Ruth,  for  helping  Fayett  and  her  husband  to  a  free 
country.  I'd  like  to  do  just  such  a  deed  myself;  and  if  I 
had  my  wish,  every  slave  in  the  land  would  be  free.  I  am 
heartily  sick  of  the  system,  although  I  make  sure,  familiarized 
as  I  am  with  it,  I  do  not  realize  a  tithe  of  its  odiousness." 

"  I  often  think,"  said  Ruth,  calmly,  "  in  view  of  the  wrongs 
peculiar  to  the  system,  how  exceedingly  abominable  it  must 
be  in  the  eyes  of  the  righteous  God,  who  loveth  righteous- 
ness." 

"  O,  Ruth,"  exclaimed  Isabel,  "  if  you  were  a  man  and  a 
minister,  how  you  would  preach  on  this  question  !  But  no, 
I  make  sure  that  we  should  not  let  even  you  preach  on  this 
subject ;  we,  good  Christians  as  we  are,  would  have  to  put  you 
in  prison  for  daring  to  ojien  your  mouth  in  favor  of  liberty  to 
the  captives.  I  don't  see  but  you'd  have  to  go  North,  and 
set  up  your  preaching  there." 

"  "Well,  that  would  not  be  so  bad,  after  all,"  replied  Ruth ; 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  215 

"  for  if  the  Xortli  was  right  on  sla%'ery,  it  would  soon  he  done 
away  in  the  South.  And  it  is  a  himentahle  fact,  that  a  vast 
deal  of  work  needs  to  he  done,  even  at  the  North.  There 
are  many  Christians  and  others,  however,  whose  influence  is 
on  the  right  side.  Tlie  Quakers,  as  a  sect,  testify  nohly 
against  it,  and  I  learn  that  there  is  not  a  Roman  Catholic 
bishop  or  priest  in  the  United  States,  who  owns  slaves.  I 
do  hope  those  dear  Christians  of  the  different  denominations 
at  the  North  who  have  condemned  slavery  as  inconsistent 
with  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  will  stand  their  ground,  that 
the  leaven  of  their  influence  may  speedily  pervade  the  entire 
North.  "Were  the  North  united  in  earnest  remonstrance 
against  the  system,  the  Southern  conscience  could  not  hold 
out  long.  As  it  is,  I  am  satisfied  that,  in  spite  of  the  preju- 
dices of  education,  and  the  bluster  of  unprincipled  men,  it 
finds  full  work  enough  to  do  in  repressing  its  own  native 
instincts." 

"  I  believe  it's  just  so,"  said  Isabel ;  "  I  don't  know  how  it 
is,  but  somehow  or  other  you  always  compel  my  assent  to 
everything  you  assert  on  this  subject." 

"  I  believe  I  have  never  given  you  a  sketch  of  my  journey," 
said  Ruth.  "  I  did  not  at  first  think  of  going  with  Robert 
and  Fayett,  when  I  caught  my  bonnet  and  shawl,  and  Avcnt 
to  the  door  to  meet  father.  I  had  been  planning  and  pray- 
ing to  ascertain  what  I  could  do  for  them  in  their  imminent 
peril.  As  I  lingered  a  moment  on  the  step,  the  injunction, 
*  do  unto  others  as  ye  would  have  them  do  unto  you,'  came 
suddenly  to  my  mind  with  singular  impressiveness.     It  could 


216  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

hardly  have  produced  a  greater  effect,  had  my  Saviour  ap- 
peared before  me.  and  repeated  this,  his  great  command. 
Without  a  moment's  further  thought,  I  stepped  into  the 
carriage,  was  soon  at  their  hut,  and  within  five  minutes  we 
were  on  our  way,  at  the  top  of  the  horses'  speed. 

"  I  should  mention  that,  before  we  reached  Philadelphia,  I 
called  on  a  friend  on  our  route,  who  lent  me  money,  without 
suspecting  my  errand ;  I  merely  told  him  that  I  had  urgent 
business  to  that  city,  and  it  excited  no  surprise,  of  course, 
that  I  had  servants  with  me.  It  fortunately  hajipened,  on 
my  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  I  x'ecollected  the  name  of  that 
excellent  Quaker,  John  Parish,  who  has  helped  succor  so 
many  flying  ones,  and  committing  Fayett  and  Robert  to  his 
keeping,  I  sent  the  carriage  and  horses  home,  and  journeyed 
to  Lexington  by  public  conveyance,  thinking  it  advisable  to 
recruit  my  health,  and  suffer  my  parents  to  become  more 
calm  before  I  appeared  in  their  presence.  Meanwhile  I  have 
written  them,  earnestly  striving  to  show  them  that  the  course 
I  have  pursued  is  such  as  will  bear  the  searching  light  of  the 
great  day  of  account.  I  would  like  to  read  you  a  copy  of 
one  I  am  going  to  send  them  next  mail." 
The  letter  was  as  follows : 

"I  cannot  well  avoid  being  grieved  at  those  three  severe 
charges.  Sad,  indeed,  must  be  my  condition,  if  I  have  dis- 
obeyed my  parents,  broken  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  sinned 
against  the  institution^  of  roliirion. 


COUSIN    fkanck's    household.  217 

"  Permit  me  to  suggest  some  few  thoughts,  which  lead  me 
to  conclude  that  I  cannot  be  in  so  bad  case : 

"  Tlie  law  of  the  filial  relation  is,  '  Children,  obey  your 
parents  in  the  Lord.'  But  does  not  this  plainly  imply,  that 
such  obedience  is  not  required  when  we  should  thereby  disobey 
a  plain  command  of  God  ?  Do  you  not  yourselves  recognize 
this  principle  in  every  other  case  ?  Have  you  not  taught  me 
from  childhood  that  our  relations  to  God  transcend  and  con- 
trol all  earthly  relations  ?  That  duties  never  clash,  and  that 
all  duties  at  once  cease  to  be  such  when  they  conflict  with  the 
clear  voice  of  God  in  his  Word,  and  conscience.  God  ordained 
all  the  lower  human  relations,  the  better  to  help  his  creatures 
serve  him  ;  and  if  they  at  any  time  degrade  their  noble  office^ 
as  '  handmaids  of  religion,'  and  command  us  to  do  what  he 
has  expressly  fox-bidden,  we  may  incur  their  frowns  and  bear 
their  penalties,  but  we  cannot  obey  them.  God  has  conferred 
on  neither  the  parent,  the  State  Jior  the  church,  the  power 
either  to  annul  or  suspend  a  moral  law.  And  have  I  sinned 
against  the  laws  of  the  land,  also  ?  But  have  I  more  than 
Obadiali,  the  steward  of  Ahab's  palace,  who,  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  royal  edict,  that  all  the  prophets  of  the  Lord 
should  be  slain,  hid  one  hundred  of  them  in  caves,  and  min- 
istered to  their  necessities  ?  Some  may  pronounce  him  un- 
faithful to  Ahab,  and  to  the  interests  of  the  State ;  but  does 
not  the  sacred  record  hold  him  up  as  most  faithful  to  hi- 
great  Sovereign,  and  as  one  whom  no  royal  edict  could  deter 
from  doing  his  duty.  And  at  the  judgment  will  he  not  bi- 
19 


218  COUSIN      KHANCK's      IIOUSLIIUI.D. 

among  that  select  thi'ong  whom  the  Saviour  calls,  *Ye 
blessed,'  having  ministcired  to  his  poor,  despised  ones?  Pure 
religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father,  is  to  visit 
the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  one's 
self  unspotted  from  the  world.  Fatherless  and  widows !  and 
who  are  j)re-eminently  the  fatherless  and  widows  among  us, 
if  not  those  made  so  by  the  wearing  out  and  the  sales  of  our 
system  ? 

"  I  have  just  opened  my  Bible  at  the  tenth  of  Isaiah,  and 
have  been  most  forcibly  struck  by  the  four  opening  verses : 

" '  Woe  unto  them  that  devise  unrighteous  decrees,  that 
write  grievousness  which  they  have  prescribed ;  to  turn  aside 
the  needy  from  judgment,  and  to  take  away  the  right  from 
the  poor  of  my  j^eople,  that  widows  may  be  their  prey,  and 
that  they  may  rob  the  fatherless.  And  what  will  ye  do  in 
the  day  of  your  visitation,  in  the  desolation  which  will  come 
from  far  ?  To  whom  will.ye  flee  for  help,  and  where  will  ye 
leave  your  glory  ?  Without  me,  they  shall  bow  down  under 
the  prisoners,  and  they  shall  fall  under  the  slain.' 

"  Whoever  these  appalling  passages  were  written  for,  they 
are  certainly  fearfully  descriptive  of  those  who  are  specially 
responsible  for  our  iniquitous  system.  '  Decree  unrighteous 
decrees,'  —  O,  how  many  sucli  decrees  are  summed  up  in 
slavery !  Beings  created  in  God's  image,  deemed,  sold, 
taken,  reputed  and  adjudged  in  law  to  be  chattels  personal, 
in  the  hands  of  their  owners  and  possessors,  and  their  execu- 
tors, administrators  and  assigns,  to  all  intents,  constructions 
and  purposes  whatever.     And  having  unrighteously  decreed 


corsix    pkaxck's    nousEiioLo.  219 

an  immortal  soul  into  a  thing,  other  almost  numberless  un- 
righteous decrees  are  added,  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  his 
market  value.  If  he  seeks  to  escape  from  the  horrors  of  his 
lot,  he  is  an  outlaw,  and  the  statutes  make  it  doing  God 
service,  for  any  one  to  shoot,  stab,  burn,  drown,  or  in  any  way 
to  murder  him. 

"  The  '  unrighteous  decrees  '  declare  that  he  shall  not  learn 
to  read,  —  that  he  shall  not  'search  the  Scriptures,' — taking 
*  away  the  right  from  the  poor  of  my  people.'  The  decrees 
declare  that  wliat  God  hath  joined  together,  man  may  put 
asunder ;  that  widows  may  be  their  prey,  and  that  they  may 
rob  the  fatherless,  —  making  the  trade  in  the  souls  of  men  a 
legal  and  profitable  business. 

"  Yes,  our  poor  slaves  are  whelmned  and  trodden  down 
with  grievousnesses,  which  the  lawmakers  winte  and  prescribe 
in  the  form  of  statutes,  and  when  I  remember  that  justice  is 
an  attribute  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  I  tremble  for  my 
beloved  country.  Our  unrighteous  decrees  have  long  been 
the  abomination  of  Him  whose  ear  is  open  to  the  cry  of  the 
humble.  His  anger  burns  against  us  ;  and  will  he  not  arise, 
and  devastating  by  judgments,  make  desolate  our  heritage  ? 
The  punishments  which  ai'e  designed  to  amend,  are  inflicted 
with  comparative  vigilance  and  speed  ;  those  which  are  meant 
to  destroy,  are  usually  long  suspended,  while  the  devoted 
victims  pass  on  with  seeming  impunity.  I  pray  God  this  be 
not  our  fearful  case,  —  but  my  shuddering  heart  whispers  me 
that  it  is.  0,  that  we  miglit  speedily  repent  and  bewail  our 
sins,  as  in  sackcloth  and  ashes !     O,  that  petitions  might 


220  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

speedily  be  made  our  rulers,  to  do  away  witli  the  cruel  en- 
actments respecting  the  poor,  despised  people  in  our  midst, 
whose  rights  we  have  *  gathered  as  a  nest,'  For  if  we  turn 
every  one  from  his  evil  way,  and  the  violence  that  is  in  his 
hands,  and  cry  mightily  to  Him,  who  can  tell  if  God  will 
turn,  and  repent,  and  turn  away  his  fierce  anger  from  us  ?  " 

As  I  heard  Ruth's  letter,  I  could  but  Aveep.  I  felt  that 
it  was  God  who  had  opened  her  eyes  to  see  the  abominations 
of  the  land,  and  to  cry,  "  O,  that  my  head  were  waters,  and 
mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and 
night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  my  jieople  !  "  Many 
there  are  thus  weeping  in  secret ;  but  so  long  have  the  free 
pulsations  of  their  hearts  been  enslaved,  that  they  fear  to  cry 
aloud. 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER     XYI. 


DEPARTURE. 


Grove  Hill,  Va.,  May  4,  18 — . 
Dear  S.  —  Yesterday  I  attended  church  at  one  of  the 
most  ancient  houses  of  worship  in  Virginia.  It  is  a  curious 
edifice,  unique  and  antiquated  enough  in  its  style  of  architect- 
ure, rising  in  the  midst  of  a  grave-yard  shaded  with  old 
oaks,  and  enclosed  by  a  thick,  moss-grown  wall,  four  or  five 
feet  high.  Were  it  not  for  here  and  there  a  fact  like  this, 
we  of  the  New  World  might  pardonably  forget  the  identity  of 
churchyard  and  grave-yard  in  our  old  English  classics.  In 
the  palmy  days  of  the  glebe,  the  Virginia  colonists  in  some 
matters  patterned  as  precisely  as  possible  after  the  "  home  " 
over  the  sea. 

"  As  through  the  churchyard's  lone  retreat 
My  meditation  led, 
And  walked  with  slow  and  pensive  feet 
Above  the  sleeping  dead ; " 

said  Wordsworth,  if  I  misquote  not,  and  I  could  not  help 
whispering  the  lines  to  Isabel  and  Ruth,  as  we  passed  through 
the  place  of  graves  to  enter  the  house  of  God. 

To  form  some  idea  of  the  construction  of  the  church,  one 
19* 


222  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

must  conceive  two  oblong  buildings  crossing  each  other  at 
right  angles,  thus  giving  four  wings.  There  is  a  door  with  a 
circular  window  over  it  in  each  of  the  four  fronts,  and  a  Gothic 
window  in  each  of  the  other  eight  sides.  One  of  the  wings 
is  partitioned  off  for  a  vestry,  and  the  pulpit  is  on  the  side  of 
the  house  next  this  apartment. 

After  the  exercises  of  the  moniing,  as  detailed  in  the 
prayer-book,  were  performed,  came  the  sermon,  from  the 
text,  "  Martha,  Martlia,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things ;  but  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her."  In  the  development  of 
his  subject,  the  good  preacher  seemed  to  take  it  for  granted 
that  the  ladies  of  his  parish  were  cumbered  about  much  serv- 
ing ;  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  see  the  propriety  of  it. 
Had  his  audience  been  the  poor  laborers  who  toil  on,  hot  or 
cold,  early  and  late,  day  in  and  day  out,  his  remarks  would 
have  been  somewhat  more  to  the  point. 

It  was  Communion,  and  for  the  first  time  I  listened  to  the 
Communion  service.  Elevated  and  beautiful  it  is ;  and  as 
group  after  group  successively  knelt  by  the  altar,  and  received 
the  sacred  symbols  from  the  pastor,  devoully  repeating,  "  The 
body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  was  given  for  thee, 
preserve  thy  body  and  soul  unto  everlasting  life ;  take  and 
cat  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ  died  for  thee,  and  feed 
on  him  in  thy  heart,  by  faith  with  thanksgiving;"  or,  at  the 
giving  of  the  wine,  ''  The  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  was  slied  for  thee,  i)reserve  thy  body  and  soul  unto 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  223 

everlasfing  life ;  drink  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ's 
blood  was  shed  for  thee,  and  be  thankful ; " —  I  wondered 
if  ever  the  enslaved  were  allowed  to  come  to  the  table  of 
their  Lord.  Some  time  previously,  I  had  a.sked  the  (juestion 
of  a  slave  woman,  who  replied,  "  0,  no,  Miss,  dat's  too  high 
for  us." 

As  I  mused  on  the  simple  and  sublime  memento  of  the 
supper  left  us  by  our  common  Master,  and  grieved  in  an 
agony  of  tears  that  so  many  members  of  his  body  were  cut 
off  from  participating  in  its  blessings,  the  last  group  returned 
from  the  altar,  and  took  their  seats.  There  was  a  pause,  and 
the  stillness  of  death  pervaded  the  house,  when  a  lone  slave 
woman,  bent  and  bowed  in  the  summer  of  her  life,  a  child- 
less widow,  tottered  down  the  aisle  from  her  lowly  seat  by  the 
door,  and  knelt  to  receive  the  holy  emblems.  She  was  evi- 
dently the  only  slave  member  of  the  church  present,  and  it 
was  a  melting  sight  to  see  her  all  alone  at  the  Saviour's 
table ;  but  it  was  a  thrilling  thought  that  she  was,  perhaps, 
more  dear  to  him  than  all  who  had  preceded  her. 

There  is  an  arched  recess  or  niche  in  the  wall  of  the  saloon 
at  Grove  Hill,  and  this  morning,  as  I  inquired  of  Isabel  its 
design,  she  replied,  with  her  usual  vivacity, 

"0,  that's  the  stand  of  the  old-time,  family  christening 
bowl.  It  would  have  remained  there  to  this  day,  had  it  not 
become  so  sadly  defaced.  "We,  presumptuous  modemers, 
have  hid  it  in  the  wing ;  but  we  confess  to  a  mortal  dread 
that  some  of  our  ghostly  ancestors  will  yet  be  moved  to  leave 


to 


224  COUSIN    fkanck's    household. 

the  walls  and  come  down  upon  us  in  vengeful  mood- for  our 
daring  sacrilege." 

"A  family  christening  bowl ! "  exclaimed  I,  "  do  let  me  see 
it." 

"  "With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  replied  Isabel;  and  away  we 
ran  to  a  lumber  room  of  the  right  wing,  and  commenced 
rummaging  the  rubbish  for  the  old  relic.  At  length  we  suc- 
ceeded in  exhuming  it  from  a  mass  of  iniins.  It  was  curiously 
sculptured  from  Italian  marble.  The  bowl  with  its  pedestal 
was  nearly  two  feet  high,  the  rim  being  about  four  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. 

"This  same  old  bowl  has  witnessed  some  interesting 
scenes,"  remarked  Isabel,  as  we  were  examining  it.  "  Were 
you  ever  at  a  christening  ?  " 

"  Never,  save  in  a  church,"  I  replied. 

"  "Well,  you  ought  to  hear  some  of  the  old  gentlemen  dis- 
course of  the  christening  of  the  olden  time,"  replied  Isabel. 
"It  was  really  quite  a  joyful  festival.  All  the  friends  Avere 
invited,  and  a  great  entertainment  was  made.  After  the 
ceremony  was  over,  all  made  merry.  In  fact,  if  all  accounts 
are  true,  they  scarcely  waited  for  a  respectable  finish. 

'  They  were  not  always  devout ; 
They  thought  of  the  feast  of  the  christening, 
The  ball,  the  music  and  rout.'" 

"  Yes,  I  dare  say  they  had  a  merry  time,"  said  Ruth,  who, 
by  the  way,  liad  joined  us ;  "  many  of  the  parsons  of  those 
days  were  great  lovers  of  wine." 


COUSIN     FRANCK's     nOUSEHOLD.  225 

"  Yes,"  responded  Isabel,  "  old  Parson  Gubbins,  for  in- 
stance. Tradition  hath  it  that  he  never  visited  Grove  Hill 
without  getting  intoxicated ;  and  his  faithful  servant,  Peter, 
who  always  attended  him,  used  to  lift  him  in  his  curricle,  tie 
him  in,  and  carefully  drive  him  home  and  deposit  him  in  bed. 
This  was  of  such  frequent  occurrence,  that  it  came  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  matter  of  coui-se  ;  if  a  peccadillo  at  all,  one 
hardly  more  serious  than  tlie  laughs  and  jokes  it  elicited  from 
his  flock." 

"  He  must  have  been  one  of  the  sporting  parsons,"  said 
Ruth. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  replied  Isabel,  "  he  was  extravagantly  fond 
of  the  chase.  I  have  heard  so  many  amusing  incidents  re- 
lated of  this  old-time  parson,  that  it  almost  seems  as  if  I  knew 
him ;  and  he  has  been  dead  half  a  century,  or  more.  He 
well  represented  a  class  of  gay,  dissipated  rectors,  for,  as 
somebody  says, 

'  They  of  the  rosy,  jocund  face, 
Paid  homage  to  the  cup,' 

'  They  loved  best  to  dine 
Where  flowed  the  best  wine.' 

The  poor  of  the  parish  were  seldom  favored  with  parochial 
calls,  —  this  order  of  priests  were  famous,  not  so  much  for 
'  training  of  souls,'  as  for  '  draining  of  bowls.'  The  drinking 
propensities  of  Parson  Gubbins,  however,  were  not  always  par- 
ticularly agreeable  to  certain  of  his  rich  parishioners.  A  story 
is  told  of  a  wedding  at  which  he  officiated.     The  parties  con- 


226  COUSIN    fuanck's    household. 

cemed,  feai*ful  that  he  would  get  tipsy  before  the  houi*  of  the 
ceremony,  which  was  twelve  o'clock,  charged  the  servants 
not  to  get  him  wine  or  liquor  of  any  kind  until  after  that  time. 
Nevertheless,  by  some  means,  the  reverend  man  managed  to 
get  his  ideas  so  much  elevated  by  sundry  potations,  that  he 
was  ridiculously  silly,  and  could  scarcely  go  through  with  the 
marriage  service.  The  wedding  party  were  exceedingly  an- 
noyed, of  course.  After  the  cei'emony,  the  parson  attempted 
to  kiss  the  bride  ;  but  the  bridegroom  interfered,  and  bade  him 
desist,  and  this  added  not  a  little  to  the  confusion  of  the 
scene. 

"  On  a  like  occasion,  after  mariying  a  couple,  Parson  Gub- 
bins  made  this  announcement,  —  'I  have  pronounced  this  pair 
husband  and  wife,  and  I  am  now  ready  to  marry  as  many 
more  as  will  present  themselves.' 

"  At  this  a  Mr.  Lee  stepjDcd  forward,  and  addressing  a  Miss 
C,  said,  '  Miss  C,  will  you  accept  my  hand,  and  listen  to  the 
marriage  service  ?  ' 

"  But  Miss  C,  greatly  shocked  and  abashed,  shrunk  back 
from  so  untimely  a  proposal." 

"  I  am  always  interested  in  these  old-time  anecdotes,"  re- 
marked Ruth,  "  and  can  we  not  argue  from  them  that  there 
has  been  some  progress  and  improvement  among  us  since  ? 
A  clergyman  as  openly  intemperate  as  was  Parson  Gubbins, 
would  be  scouted  at  in  these  times,  as  entirely  ineligible  for 
pulpit  and  pastoral  duties.  Public  opinion  has  certainly  ad- 
vanced on  the  temperance  question,  and  has  it  not  also  on  the 
question  of  slaveholding  ?     Many  are  being  waked  up  by  the 


./U 


COUSIN    fuanck's    holskiiold.  227 


monitor  conscience,  to  see  the  sinfulness  of  enslaving  tlieir 
brethren." 

"But  this  old,  musty  room!"  exclaimed  Isabel,  —  "do 
let's  have  a  walk  in  the  open  air ; "  and  directly,  aim  in  arm, 
"  we  tliree  "  were  on  our  way  to  the  garden.  We  found  the 
strawberries  ripe,  and  after  regaling  ourselves,  sat  doAvn  in 
an  arbor  near  by,  which  was  entirely  covered  by  trailing 
roses  in  full  bloom.  It  was  a  beautiful  day  .of  bright  sun- 
beams and  fragrant  breezes,  and  Ave  were  deeming  ourselves 
quite  happy,  when  the  thought  of  separation  came  in  to  mar 
our  enjoyment.  The  time  fixed  for  my  visit  to  Virginia  had 
nearly  expired ;  two  days  only,  and  I  must  return  to  my 
Northern  home. 

"  That  is  too  bad,"  said  Isabel,  as  I  alluded  to  the  time  of 
my  leaving.  "  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  let  you  go  just  now, 
when  Ruth  is  going  home,  too." 

"  And  I  must  have  you  go  with  me,"  said  Ruth. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  return  so  soon,"  I  replied ;  "  and  were  it 
possible,  would  remain  longer  ;  but  that,  you  know,  cannot  be. 
Perhaps  I  may  return  in  the  autumn." 

"  I  wish  you'd  ari'ange  it  with  your  friends  to  take  up  your 
permanent  abode  with  us,"  replied  Isabel.  "  I  make  sure 
you'd  be  a  firstrate  Southerner ;  indeed,  I  think  you  are  now. 
At  least,  you  wont  go  home  thinking  we  Virginians  are  the 
worst  people  in  the  world,  will  you  ?  " 

"  O,  no,"  I  replied ;  "  I  love  Virginia  and  Virginians  too 
well  for  that.  I  only  wonder  a  people  can  be  so  noble  and 
excellent,  when  they  have  been  'staggering'  under  the  weight 


228  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

of  such  a  '  loathsome  burden '  so  long.  Such  an  evil,  I  fear, 
would  have  dried  u])  all  the  kindly  sympathies  of  the  cooler 
and  more  calculating  Northerners,  long  ago.  But  I  shall 
always  feel  a  sadness  stealing  away  my  pleasant  memories, 
when  I  think  of  what  Virginia  has  been,  is,  and  might  have 
been  if  disenthralled,  like  our  free  and  happy  New-England, 
which  to  some  extent  seems  to  say  to  her  Southern  sisters : 

'  We  leave  you  with  your  bondmen,  to  wrestle  while  yc  can 
With  the  strong  upward  tendencies,  and  Godlike  soul  of  man. 
But  for  us  and  our  children,  the  vow  which  we  have  given 
For  freedom  and  humanity,  is  registered  in  heaven  ; 
No  slave-hunt  in  our  borders,  no  pirate  on  our  strand, 
No  fetters  in  New-England,  no  slaves  upon  our  land.'  " 

"  I  like  those  spirited,  noble  lines,"  said  Isabel ;  "  I  wish 
we  could  all  say  as  much  as  they  express." 

A  servant  came  with  a  message  for  Isabel,  and  we  went 
in.  As  I  hied  me  to  my  room,  I  was  wondering  how  poor 
Cleopatra  bore  her  sorrows,  and  if  the  rest  of  heaven  would 
not  be  very  sweet  to  her  at  last.  And  then  my  sympathies 
went  out  after  lone  Martha  and  her  little  one ;  and  then  I 
wondered  if  the  husband's  and  father's  heart  was  not  yearn- 
ing to  see  them  once  more. 

And  then  I  trembled,  as  I  thought  of  Rosalie's  marrying 
poor  Martha  to  old  Uncle  Sim.  And  Mima,  too !  I  knew 
she  would  rather  be  in  lier  grave  than  the  wife  of  that  de- 
testable Juiiiix-r.  Selmal  how  I  longed  once  more  to  put 
my  arms  about  her  neck,  and  weep  with  her !     And  blind 


COUSIN    franx'k's    household.  229 

Joseph,  if  I  could  only  hear  him  pray  yet  once  again  before 
I  go! 

Farewell,  poor  slave  people  !  I  have  had  but  a  glimpse 
of  what  ye  suffer,  and  I  may  never  hear  from  you  in  this 
world ;  but  if  at  last  we  meet  in  heaven,  amid  the  pauses  of 
your  golden  harps,  as  ye  sit  on  the  banks  of  the  river  of  life, 
will  not  your  histories  wake  anew  the  strains  of  rejoicing 
melody  ? 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


20 


fl(r^ 


LETTEll     XYII. 

WILLOW  CREEK,  ONCE  MOKE. 

Willow  Creek,  Va.,  Sept.  20,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Here  am  I  this  golden  morning,  again  a  guest 
in  the  Old  Dominion,  at  cousin  Franck's  country  residence. 
Regina  has  almost  recovered  the  use  of  her  arm  and  ancle, 
and  is  beginning  to  thmk  she  can  do  without  Selma.  By  the 
way,  in  her  helplessness  last  winter  she  persuaded  the  Doctor 
to  give  up  the  bargain,  as  she  "  positively  could  not  live  with- 
out her."  Selma  is  now  fairer  even  than  Regina,  and,  it  is 
said,  more  strikingly  resembles  the  Hartleys.  Since  Re- 
gina's  long  confinement,  an  inveterate  nervousness  having 
possessed  hei*,  she  feels  constant  disquiet  in  the  presence  of 
her  faithful  sister-servant.  At  times,  she  is  exceedingly 
petulant,  and  as  unreasonable  as  a  child.  Poor  Selma  is  the 
butt  of  her  ill-will,  and  a  burdensome  life  she  has  of  it. 

"  Such  a  living  annoyance  !  "  exclaimed  Regina,  to-day,  as 
she  was  reclining  on  the  parlor  sofa ;  "  Selma  is  my  shadow  !  I 
make  sure  she  grows  fairer  every  day.  I  declare,  my  com- 
plexion is  getting  bronze,  it  is,  indeed ! "  she  added,  as  she 
saw  herself  reflected  in  the  spacious  mirror  opposite.  There- 
upon out-poke  her  attache,  Franck  Cameron  : 


COLTSIN      FliANClc's      IIOUSKIIOLD.  231 

"Bless  my  soul  and  body!  Mrs.  Cameron,  where  are  your 
eyes  ?  I  consider  myself  no  contemptible  judge  in  the  case, 
and  don't  I  tell  you  every  day  of  my  life,  and  fifty  times  a 
day,  that  you  are  looking  charmingly  ?  " 

"  "What  of  that  ?  "  rejoined  the  amiable  lady,  "  can  I  forget 
that  my  Carolina  friends  could  not  for  their  lives  recog- 
nize me  this  summer,  and  that  they  mistook  Selma  for  me  ? 
Tell  me  how  I  can  forget  such  facts  as  these,  will  you  ?  " 

How  cousin  Franck  would  have  met  this  poser  I  know  not, 
as  the  colloquy  was  suddenly  cut  short  by  the  entrance  of  Mr. 
Oglethorpe,  our  stranger  guest.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe is  a  very  interesting  person,  and  the  whole  family  ai*e 
in  love  with  him.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  polished  manners, 
bland  and  intelligent,  with  a  delightful  fund  of  general  infor- 
mation. He  is  a  Southerner  by  birth,  wealthy,  and  has  been 
for  some  years  in  Europe. 

Rosalie  is  very  innocently  engaged  in  seeking  to  capture 
him  as  her  laA\'ful  prize ;  and,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  she  is 
really  a  most  fascinating  girl,  in  her  amiable  moods.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  she  has  won  the  attention  of  the  dignified 
stranger.  Wouldn't  he  be  astounded  to  be  behind  the  scenes, 
on  an  occasion  like  the  marrying  of  Juniper  and  Mima ! 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  is  somewhat  an  invalid.  Cousin  Franck 
and  family  made  his  acquaintance  at  the  Springs,  and  at  their 
earnest  request  he  accompanied  them  to  "Willow  Creek. 
There  is  something  a  little  reserved  and  mysterious  in  his 
bearing,  but  this  Rosalie  interprets  to  his  advantage.  Ruth 
and  I  conjecture  that  he  has  met  with  some  great  sorroAV,  so 
abstracted  is  he  at  times. 


f 


232  COUSIN    franck's    nousEUOLo. 

He  seems  to  regard  Selma,  slave  as  she  is,  with  interest, 
and  indeed  I  see  not  how  he  can  help  it,  for  she  is  a  beautiful, 
a  superior  woman.  Madam  Regina  has  observed  this,  and 
added  it  to  her  other  sources  of  disquiet. 

Poor  Regina !  it  would  seem  as  if  every  breeze  brought 
new  irritation  for  the  old  sore.  "While  Mr.  Oglethorpe  was 
still  present  with  the  family  m  the  parlor,  a  pedler,  half  con- 
cealed beneath  a  slouched  cap  and  huge  green .  goggles, 
bustled  into  the  room.  You  must  know  that  the  retirement 
of  "Willow  Creek  makes  even  a  pedler  welcome. 

"  Can  I  sell  you  anything  to-day,  gentlemen  and  ladies  ?  " 
ran  on  the  bearer  of  the  tin  boxes,  with  a  peculiar  brogue, 
and  with  the  dog-trot  monotone  of  his  profession ;  "  pins, 
needles,  thread,  combs,  thimbles,  cravats,  laces,  embroidery 
patterns  and  cvewel  to  match  !  "  But  while  he  displayed  his 
medley  of  articles,  Selma  chanced  to  enter  the  room,  where- 
upon he  addressed  her  with  a  low  bow  as  if  she  were  the  mis- 
tress,—  "  ^i\\  you  buy  anything,  Madam  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  replied  cousin  Franck,  "  you  mistake ;  she  is  only 
a  servant ! " 

"  Oh,  ah,"  replied  the  pedler,  "  I  understand ; "  then,  turn- 
ing to  Selma,  he  added,  "  well,  as  you  don't  want  to  buy,  I 
guess  I  shall  have  to  give  you  a  trifle ; "  then,  fumbling  for  a 
moment  among  his  things,  he  handed  her  a  little  paper  box, 
when  Mrs.  Cameron  with  an  indignant  air  bade  her  leave  the 
room. 

"There  it  is  again!"  bcgrtn  Regina  ill-humoredly,  after 
the  pedler  had  left,  and  IMr.  Oglethorpe  had  withdrawn ;  "  as 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  233 

I  live,  I  am  to  be  liaiinted  with  the  intolerable  idea.  Selma 
is  myself  even  in  this  poor  pedler's  esteem.  I  hate  the  very 
sight  of  her !  " 

"  0,  Mamma !  "  exclaimed  Ruth  imploringly. 

"  You  hush,  child,"  replied  Madam  Regina,  in  a  vexed  tone. 
"  Pretty  well,  indeed,  for  you  to  make  yourself  without  natu- 
ral affection,  forsaking  your  mother,  and  taking  sides  with  a 
servant ! '  I  tell  you,  Selma's  image  is  an  unmitigated  tor- 
ment to  me ! " 

Franck,  striding  the  room,  with  hands  sheathed  in  his 
pockets,  whistled  a  short  accompaniment  to  these  words,  and 
then  added, 

"Why  keep  her,  then?  —  nothing  easier  than  to  dispose  of 
her." 

"  The  truth  is,  there  is  no  living  with,  nor  without  her," 
replied  Regina ;  "  she  is  highly  necessary,  and  with  all  my 
habits  formed,  pray,  how  am  I  to  get  along  without  her,  and 
with  my  acute  sensibility  to  suffering,  how  can  I  bear  her 
hated  image  before  me  ?  " 

"  The  more  comfortable  way  would  be  to  hate  her  less," 
coolly  replied  cousin  Fi'anck. 

"  You  know,"  continued  the  lady,  "  Selma  is  no  ordinary 
servant.  I  was  foolish  enough  to  have  her  educated,  but 
aside  from  the  aid  she  rendered  me  in  my  lessons,  I  have  had 
only  cause  to  rue  it."  Cousin  Franck  was  silent,  and  Mrs. 
Cameron  added,  "  Such  impertinence  in  her  to  resemble  nic 
so  strongly — to  ape  my  manners,  and  carry  herself  like  a 
lady !  As  if  it  was  not  mortification  enough  for  her  to  be  of 
20* 


* 


234  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

my  family,  she  must  be  a  living  proclamation  of  it,  having  it 
written  in  face,  figure,  mind  and  manner." 

"  Ho,  ho,  hum  !  "  yawned  Franck  Cameron,  "  well,  anything 
for  a  quiet  life.  I  guess  we  might  as  well  sell  her  and  be 
done  with  it !  " 

"  We  !  "  replied  Regina,  sarcastically,  "  I  wonder  who  is  we^ 
you  or  I.  It  might  be  as  well  for  some  people  to  remember 
the  conditions  of  the  marriage  settlement ! " 

"  O,  of  course,  I  have  no  idea  of  intermeddling,"  replied 
the  husband,  "  but  it  does  seem  a  pity  no  plan  can  be  thought 
of  for  your  comfort.  Why  not  dispose  of  Selma,  and  let  some 
one  else  take  her  place  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  that  is  the  question  I  am  ever  mooting,"  re- 
plied the  lady,  "  but  I  come  no  nearer  a  decision.  The  truth 
is,  my  misfortunes  of  last  winter  have  so  broken  me  down 
that  I  am  neither  one  thing  nor  the  other.  I  am  afraid  to 
take  such  a  step,  —  I  fear  some  new  calamity  wiU  befall  me  if 
I  attempt  it.  When  I  was  young,  father  sold  Selma's 
brothers,  William  and  Wallace,  and  was  inexpressibly 
wretched  ever  after." 

"  Bless  me !  Mrs.  Cameron,"  interrupted  the  husband,  "  how 
superstitious !  you  are  really  getting  nervous.  I  would  not 
have  believed  you  could  be  so  weak  as  to  run  off  such  a  no- 
tion. But  come,  cheer  up,  cheer  up  !  We  can  manage  the 
matter  somehow  ;  '  where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way.'  " 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


COUSIN    France's    household.  235 

P.  S.     Rosalie  has  all  at  once  become  an  enthusiast  in 

French,  and  declares  she  has  a  prince  of  teachers  in  Mr. 

Oglethorpe.     She  toils  hard,  almost  denying  herself  of  sleep, 

and  really  is  progressing  wondrously.     I  am  puzzled  to  know 

which  Mr.  Oglethorpe  likes  best,  Rosalie  or  Ruth.     I  dare 

say  it's  Rosalie,  however,  she  makes  herself  so  interesting, 

and  Ruth  has  no  other  thought  than  to  do  her  part  in  making 

his  visit  agreeable. 

P. 


LETTER    XVIII. 


SURPRISE. 


"Willow  Creek,  Va.,  Sept.  29,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Prepare  yourself  for  a  surprise.  The  box 
given  to  Selma  contained  a  little  note  from  Hannibal ;  and  the 
pedler  is  no  other  than  that  hero  himself!  He  found  freedom 
too  sweet  to  enjoy  alone,  and  bravely  faced  that  which  he 
abhorred  worse  than  death  itself,  for  the  safety  of  those  he 
loves.  A  few  evenings  since  Ruth  discovered  the  seci'et  of 
his  arrival,  and  immediately  set  herself  to  work  to  give  Sel- 
ma an  opportunity  to  meet  him. 

I  should  have  told  you  before  that  Mima  insisted  so  roundly 
to  Juniper  that  she  was  no  wife  of  his,  and  would  die  sooner 
than  consent,  and  so  intimidated  him  with  her  brave  threats, 
that  the  craven  was  afraid  to  claim  her,  and  at  length  divorced 
her  with  a  kick  and  a  curse,  saying,  very  loftily, 

"  Prenty  more  fish  in  de  sea  waitin'  for  to  be  cocht ! 
Prenty  more,  a  heap  of  store  better  than  such  as  you  ! " 

Hannibal  found  a  hiding-place  in  an  old  forsaken  spring 
house,  in  a  woody  ravine  some  distance  from  the  mansion. 
Thither,  Mima,  Ruth  and  Selma  managed  to  carry  food.  On 
his  arrival  he  was  sadly  in  need  of  rest,  and  in  a  most  pitiable 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  237 

plight.  His  plan  was  to  take  Selma  and  Mima,  and  escape 
on  foot ;  but  Ruth  assured  them  the  chances  were  few,  if  they 
attempted  it,  and  proposed  a  plan  she  had  herself  matured, 
the  obstacles  to  which,  however,  were  formidable  enough. 
Selma  was  constantly  needed  by  Regina,  and  Mima  was  no 
less  serviceable  to  Rosalie  —  how  to  give  them  time  to  get 
a  fair  start  was  the  problem.  Juniper,  accomplished  in  low 
cmining,  was  ever  on  the  alert,  and  we  feared  he  ah*eady  sus- 
pected Hannibal  was  secreted  in  the  vicinity  of  the  house, 
when  we  fortunately  overheard  the  following  conversation. 
"We  were  sitting  in  the  trellised  portico,  half  hidden  in  the 
fragrant  shade,  and  Juniper  was  putting  the  saloon  to  rights. 
Cousin  Franck  passing  through  the  room,  Juniper  began  with 
usual  obsequiousness, 

"  'Pears  like  dese  slier  is  very  strange  times,  Massa ;  dese 
sher  niggers  dat  ongrateful — run  away  p'r'aps  —  leave  Massa 
in  de  lurks  'bout  de  work,  an'  den  come  back  p'x-'aps  an'  tote 
off  some  ob  de  res'  of  dere  kin  —  de  ongrateful  truck  ! " 

"  What's  that  Jun,  what's  in  the  wind  now  ?  "  asked  cousin 
Franck. 

"  Oh,  nothin',  p'r'aps,  Massa  Cameron,"  responded  the  wily 
serving-man,  "  nothin',  p'r'aps  !  " 

"  Then  you  may  as  well  hold  your  tongue,"  replied  the 
master,  "  Come,  what  do  you  mean,  you  rascal  ?  " 

"  Nothin'  in  'ticclar,  Massa ;  only  p'r'aps  Hannibal  haint 
come  back,  an'  he  haint  gwine  to  coax  off  no  more  niggers, 
p'r'aps,  dat's  all !     I  dun  know  for  sarten,  but  I  'spects  I  smell 


238  COUSIN    fraxck's    household. 

him  whereabouts.  I'll  jes'  be  done  with  dis  sher  dustin',  an' 
den,"Massa,  you  jes'  come  with  me." 

"  Be  lively,  then,"  said  cousin  Franck,  beating  his  boot 
with  his  riding  whip. 

Ruth  and  myself  were  in  great  trouble.  The  first  impulse 
was  to  send  to  the  woody  glen,  that  Hannibal  might  seek 
some  other  place  of  safety.  Whispering  Ruth  to  manage  and 
detain  cousin  Franck  and  Juniper,  I  noiselessly  slid  out,  and 
tripping  through  the  garden  and  field  beyond,  was  quickly 
threading  the  woods  in  the  direction  of  the  spring  house. 
"When  almost  there  I  met  Mima,  and  in  a  few  words  told  her 
of  Hannibal's  danger.  The  poor  girl  at  first  was  almost 
paralyzed  with  fright,  but  soon  recovering  herself,  said, 

"  If  he  was  ony  safe  in  de  holler  tree,  now." 

"  What  hollow  tree  ?  where  ?  "  I  eagerly  asked. 

"On  tother  side  of  de  gully,  over  dare,"  pointed  Mima, 
"ony  a  step  off,  —  'parently  he'd  be  a  heap  safer  stowed 
'way  dare,  an'  'pears  like  dey  wouldn't  done  tink  of  lookin' 
dare  for  him." 

Hannibal  decided  at  once,  when  informed  of  his  danger,  to 
occupy  the  hollow  tree  ;  and  Mima,  hastily  tying  up  a  i)ackage 
of  food,  from  the  little  stock  in  the  spring  house  provided  by 
Ruth,  hastened  with  him  to  the  tree,  distant  not  half  a  dozen 
rods,  wliile  I  remained  to  put  the  little  room  to  rights.  Rais- 
ing a  loose  board  from  the  floor,  I  hurriedly  stowed  away  a 
quilt,  blanket  and  pillow,  also  the  remainder  of  the  eatables. 
As  I  was  replacing  the  board,  I  heard  voices,  and  being  sure 
that  the  pursuers  were  near,  made  the  best  of  my  way  to  a 


"At 


cui'six    I'-uanck's    iiolseiiold.  239 

quiet  nook  in  tlie  siJe  uf  the  ravine  nearly  opposite  the  hol- 
low tree.  It  was  an  excavation  in  the  bank,  forming  a  sort  of 
a  cave,  through  which  ran  the  root  of  a  monarch  oak,  which 
root  Ruth  had  nicely  covered  with  mosses,  for  a  seat.  In 
front  of  the  gi'otto,  was  a  wall  of  shrubbery  with  a  portable 
pine  bough  for  a  door.  Reaching  this  retreat  almost  breath- 
less, I  was  relieved  to  see  tliat  Hannibal  was  ensconced  in 
lu3  hiding-place,  and  a  moment  after  Mima  joined  me,  in 
answer  to  my  beckoning. 

The  sound  of  voices  became  more  audible,  and  in  a  few 
moments  the  spring  house  door  creaked  on  its  rusty  hinges, 
and  we  heard  Juniper  say, 

"  "VVy,  hi,  Massa  Cameron,  'pears  like  him  no  here,  arter 
all !  him  'scaped  'parently,  dat  is  clar  !  " 

"  Nonsense,  Jun !  "  exclaimed  cousin  Fx-anck ;  "  you  must 
be  drunk!  Hannibal  is  a  thousand  miles  oflP;  of  course,  the 
dog  wouldn't  come  back  !  " 

"  Ob  course,  Massa,  he  no  come  back  on  his  own  'count," 
said  Juniper,  "  but  'pears  like  he  come  back  an'  tote  off  his 
kin,  Selma  an'  de  res'." 

"Jun,  you're  a  fool!"  exclaimed  cousin  Franck,  getting 
angry;  "  what  under  the  canopy  did  you  lead  me  on  this  wild- 
goose  chase  for  ?  Look  ye  here,  you  rascal ;  if  you  are 
fooling  me, — unless  you  can  bring  me  some  reasonable  proof 
that  Hannibal  has  come  back,  —  I'll  have  you  tied  to  the  whip- 
ping-post and  mauled  within  an  inch  of  your  life.  I  will  not 
put  up  with  your  humbugging  insolence,  depend  upon  it !  " 

"  Massa  Cameron,  de  facts  of  de  case  is  jes'  here,"  ex- 


240  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

plained  Juniper, — and  as  we  peeped  tlirougli  the  leafy  curtain 
of  the  grotto,  we  had  a  view  of  the  master  and  servant ;  "  de 
facts  of  de  case  is  jes'  here,"  continued  Jun,  consequentially 
resting  one  foot  on  a  log,  and  rolling  his  tohacco  quid  to  the 
other  side  of  his  mouth,  "  I'se  been  studyin'  'pon  dese  times, 
an'  'parently  tings  is  come  to  a  strange  pass.  'Pears  like 
ongrateful  niggers  is  bound  to  run  away,  an'  den  dat  don't 
done  satisfy  'em,  dey  is  bound  to  come  back  an'  tote  off  dare 
kin,  dat  is  evident !  " 

"  Come,  now,"  said  cousin  Franck,  "  be  done  with  this  beat- 
ing about  the  bush,  and  teU  me  at  once,  have  you  any  reason 
to  think  Hannibal  is  in  this  neighborhood  ?  " 

"To  come  to  de  p'int,  den,  Massa,"  replied  Juniper,  "I 
lone  overheered  some  of  de  servants  sayin'  he  had  corned 
back ;  mighty  sly  dey  was  about  it,  too.  An'  so  what's  I'se 
to  do  but  look  roun'  an'  find  him ;  and  las'  night  I  peeped 
into  dis  sher  spring  'ouse,  when  de  moon  was  shinin'  bright, 
an'  dare  was  Hannibal  sure  enough." 

"  Bless  me !  what's  the  reason  you  did  not  tell  me  about  it 
at  once,"  said  cousin  Franck. 

"  Please  to  b'lieve  me,  Massa,  I  was  waitin'  for  the  'velop- 
ments,"  replied  Jun ;  "  I  Avanted  to  see  who'd  take  sides  wid 
him  an'  befriend  him  like,  —  'parently  dare's  prenty  of 
straiters  'bout." 

"  You're  a  dunce  and  a  fool ! "  angrily  exclaimed  cousin 
Franck,  "  and  you  ought  to  be  strung  up  for  your  carelessness ! 
What  upon  earth  were  you  thinking  about  to  let  him  slip 
through  your  fingers  in  that  style  ?  " 


COUSIN    fuanck's    household.  241 

"  Oh,  Massa  Cameron,"  said  Jun,  "  'scuze  me  dis  time, 
an'  I'll  be  bound  I'll  find  him  if  he's  in  de  land  ob  de  livin' !  " 

"  Find  him,  and  I  lot  it  pass,"  replied  cousin  Franck,  "  but 
unless  you  do,  you  shall  answer  for  your  nonsense !  "  and 
cousin  Franck  turned  on  his  heel  and  was  gone. 

Juniper  remained  to  explore,  —  we  saw  him  enter  the 
spring  house,  and  seem  to  be  busy  looking  for  some  trace  of 
Hannibal.  In  trembling  anxiety  we  bent  back  the  shrubbery 
that  we  might  better  watch  his  movements.  At  length  his 
quick  eyes  discovered  some  crumbs  and  lint,  and  ^\ath  a 
malicious  whistle  and  chuckle  he  began  to  caper  and  dance. 

"  Hoot,  hi !  takes  dis  chap  to  come  de  game !  I'll  done 
have  him  right  smart  libely  !  "  and  he  cautiously  looked  out 
of  the  little  apartment  as  if  he  almost  expected  to  see  Hanni- 
bal, then  turned  back  and  commenced  taking  up  the  floor,  to 
see  if  he  was  secreted  beneath.  He  soon  found  the  articles 
I  had  hidden  there,  and  exclaimed,  as  he  saw  the  roll  of  bed- 
ding, 

"  Hi !  you  nigger,  come  out  there,  d'ye  hear  ?  Putty  well 
tucked  up  in  blankets,  aint  ye  ?  Thought  I  couldn't  find  ye, 
eh  ? "  and  he  gave  the  bundle  a  kick.  "  Hi !  taint  you^ 
nuther!  —  what  be  ye?"  and  he  pulled  up  and  opened  the 
bundle,  rolling  up  his  eyes  in  great  astonishment,  but  hastily 
bestowing  it  again  where  he  found  it,  said,  "  Stay  dare,  till 
I  calls  for  ye  !  " 

Having  next  carefully  reconnoitered  the  outside  of  the 
spring  house,  he  bent  almost  to  the  ground,  and  searched 
carefully  for  footsteps.  These,  however,  were  not  so  easily 
21 


"^ 


242  COUSIN    ruAXCK's    household. 

found,  the  rocky  footing  being  covered  with  moss.  But  at 
length  our  worst  fears  seemed  about  to  be  realized,  for  he 
started  suddenly  toward  the  tree,  having  doubtless  perceived 
the  moss  to  be  most  broken  in  that  direction.  Here  he  came 
to  a  stand,  evidently  not  knowing  that  it  w^as  hollow ;  the  en- 
trance being  in  the  ibrk  of  the  tree  some  distance  from  the 
ground,  it  could  not  be  seen  without  climbing.  While  he  was 
examining  the  ground,  in  order  to  decide  the  course  of  the 
footsteps,  a  slave  came  to  call  him  to  his  house  duties. 

"  Wy,  hi ! "  exclaimed  Juniper, ''  haint  done  got  half  through 
de  hunt  ?  What  Massa  tinkin'  'bout  ?  "  but  away  he  went, 
knowing  that  there  was  no  appeal. 

Active  and  anxious  were  our  brains  the  rest  of  the  day 
after  the  discovery  of  the  spring  house,  as  every  moment  w^as 
full  of  peril.  After  some  deliberation,  it  was  decided  that 
Selma  should  take  advantage  of  her  looks,  and  journey  North 
as  Mrs.  Cameron,  with  Mima  as  her  maid,  and  that  Hannibal 
should  take  passage  at  the  same  time  in  the  character  he  had 
already  managed  so  well,  namely,  as  a  pedler.  The  difliculty 
was  to  get  them  aboard  the  steamer  which  plied  down  the 
Rappahannoc  and  up  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Baltimore. 

Night  came ;  our  night  for  work  in  good  earnest.  We 
were  still  in  a  state  of  excitement,  although  apparently  calm 
and  self-possessed ;  and  one  of  the  employments  of  the  af- 
ternoon, as  if  in  girlish  frolic,  was  a  candy -scrape.  The  boat 
would  pass  the  nearest  landing,  at  three  o'clock,  and  as  it  was 
a  three  hours'  drive  to  this  place,  it  would  be  necessary  to  start 
at  twelve.  At  half  past  eleven  Mima  gave  the  signal  to  Ilanni- 


COUSIN    fran'ck's    iiolskiiold.  243 

bal.  Cautiously  leaving  his  retreat,  he  gained  the  stables, 
and  quietly  prepai'ing  the  horses  and  carriage,  very  slowly 
proceeded  down  the  avenue,  stojiping  in  the  deep  shade  of 
embowering  trees.  Here  he  was  joined  by  Selma  and  Mima  ; 
Ruth  and  myself  also  took  passage  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
back  the  cai'riage.  To  muffle  as  much  as  possible  the  rum- 
bling of  the  wheels,  the  horses  wei'e  walked  until  we  were  some 
distance  from  the  house,  and  then  away  we  went  at  as  fast  a 
pace  as  the  fat  animals  could  be  urged. 

The  night  was  cloudy,  and  the  moon  mostly  obscured  ;  this 
was  to  us  a  good  omen.  But  I  cannot  describe  to  you  our 
suspense  and  excitement.  Very  often  we  fancied  the  clat- 
tering of  horses'  hoofs  could  be  heard  behind  us,  but  as  often 
hushed  our  forebodings,  after  a  few  moments  i:)atient  listening, 
with  the  assurance  that  it  was  only  the  effect  of  our  fears. 
But  little  was  said  by  any  of  us,  for  every  thought  w^as  swal- 
lowed up  in  anxiety  for  the  result,  and  the  fear  which  2:)ara- 
lyzed  our  hearts  to  the  semblance  of  stoicism  when  silent, 
almost  unnerved  us  when  we  gave  it  utterance.  We  had 
gone  over  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  distance,  and  were  just 
beginning  to  be  somewhat  more  hopeful  as  to  the  issue,  when 
again  we  thought  we  heard  the  sound  of  a  distant  gallop. 
"We  listened  in  breathless  suspense  ;  our  ears  detected  but  too 
distinctly,  the  tramp  of  horses.  It  was  a  dreadful  moment. 
Wliat  could  we  do  ?  Hannibal,  however,  who  had  started  his 
horses  to  their  utmost  speed,  suddenly  tui'ned  into  an  old 
corn-field,  almost  covered  with  pines,  and  after  winding  about 
among  them,  halted  behind  a  grove. 


244  COUSIN      FUA-NClv's      HOUSEHOLD. 

**■  Now  we  may  manage  to  elude  tliem,  if  they  have  left  the 
dogs  behmd,"  said  Hannibal,  ''  but  we  shall  be  too  late  for  the 
boat.  Let  me  see,  however  ;  yes,  I  know  where  we  are,  only 
two  miles  from  the  river  across  the  fields,  and  we  can  easily 
walk  that  distance ;  we  have  no  time  to  lose."  With  hasty 
farewells,  Ruth  and  1  bid  them  God  speed  on  their  journey. 
They  had  been  hidden  from  our  view  by  the  pines  only  a  few 
moments,  when  we  heard  the  baying  of  the  hounds.  In  an 
instant  more,  the  three  dogs  sprang  into  the  covert  of  bushes. 
Ruth  and  I  had  just  fastened  the  horses  and  entered  the  car- 
riage, when  the  dogs,  with  loud  vociferations,  smelt  around  the 
vehicle,  and  set  off  at  full  speed  after  their  game- 
Juniper's  disagreeable  whistle  and  chuckle  now  fell  on  our 
ears,  and  we  heard  him  say, 

"  Dare,  Massa,  I  done  told  you  so  !  Lor',  we'll  grab  'em  right 
smart  quick  !  "  then,  looking  into  the  carriage  —  for  the  moon 
now  shone  brightly,  —  "  Wy,  hi !  if  here  aint  de  young  ladies  ! 
Who  under  the  canoj^y  had  the  'resumption  to  tote  ye  off 
here,  now  ?  "  Conceive  our  astonishment  when  we  discovered 
Juniper's  companion  to  be  Mr.  Oglethorpe  !  You  can  judge 
how  rapidly  our  former  high  regard  for  him  changed  into 
anger  and  supreme  contempt. 

The  dogs  soon  yelped  and  barked,  in  tones  that  indicated 
they  had  come  up  Avith  our  flying  friends,  and  we  heard  the 
voice  of  Hannibal,  as  he  attemiitcd  to  keep  them  at  bay.  It 
was  heart-rending  to  think  they  must  be  taken,  when  a  single 
half  hour  would  probably  have  made  them  free  forever.  I 
could   not   feel   reconciled.     My   heart    was    seething   witJi 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  245 


thoughts  that  ahnost  consumed  nio,  and  Rutli  was  Avcdl  nigli 
overcome  with  the  intensity  of  her  emotions.  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
came  forward,  and  spoke  to  us  in  his  usual  gentlemanly  man- 
ner, when  we  heard  IMima  scream,  and  begged  him  to  see  that 
the  dogs  did  no  harm.  When  we  reached  the  scene  of  con- 
flict, Hannibal,  besides  ordering  off  the  dogs,  had  bound  and 
disabled  Juniper,  and  w^as  ready  for  a  start. 

"  "Well  done,  well  done !  young  man,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Oglethorpe.  "You  have  won  your  freedom,  and  shall  havo 
it,  and  Selma  and  Mima  too.  But  there  is  no  time  for  words. 
The  first  thing  is  to  make  sure  of  the  boat.  Get  into  the 
carriage  ;  you  may  yet  reach  the  river  in  time."  The  horses 
were  soon  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  entered 
fully  into  the  plan  of  operations,  and  expressed  the  most  en- 
tire confidence  that  Selma  would  readily  pass  for  a  Southern 
lady,  travelling  with  her  servant. 

To  us,  the  mystery  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  character  was 
deepened  by  this  new  development.  During  the  short,  rapid 
ride  to  the  river,  not  a  word  escaped  him  that  served  to  solve 
it ;  and  we  had  no  courage  to  invade  the  sad  reserve,  in 
which  he  has  always  moved,  as  if  in  an  enchanted  circle. 
But  it  was  plainly  seen  in  his  manner,  and  especially  in  his 
countenance,  that  powerful  emotions  were  contending  within. 

On  reaching  the  landing,  the  boat  had  not  arrived,  and  was 
not  due  un-der  about  half  an  hour.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  seemed 
much  relieved,  and  exclaimed, 

"  Thank  God  !    I  shall  then  have  time  !  "     Then,  approach- 
ing Selma  and  taking  her  hand,  he  said,  with  thick  utterance, 
21* 


246  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


.* 


Years  ago  you  had  two  little  brothers,  William  and  Wal-    '^^ 
ace,  —  do  you  remember  them  ?  " 

"  Remember  them  !  "  exclaimed  Selma,  "  my  poor  darling 
brothers  !  —  the  victims  of  the  rice  swamps!"  and  she  burst 
into  tears. 

"  Selma,  I  am  William !  your  own  brother  William !  " 
ejaculated  the  mysterious  stranger,  in  accents  that  attested  the 
truth  of  his  words. 

"  My  brother !  My  William  !  "  gasped  Selma  ;  then, 
gazing  into  his  face  for  a  moment,  she  threw  herself  upon 
his  neck,  and  wept  as  if  the  fountains  of  her  heart  were 
broken  up.  That  deep  gaze  had  read  a  brother's  heart  with 
the  certainty  of  aroused  instinct. 

"  My  brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  he  was  lost, 
and  is  found,"  she  at  length  recovered  herself  sufficiently  to 
articulate.  The  first  paroxysm  of  excitement  over,  hurried 
questions  and  explanations  followed. 

-"  Poor  Wallace  !  "  said  Mr.  Oglethorpe  in  reply  to  Selma's 
inquiry  respecting  him,  "  poor  Wallace !  his  proud  spirit 
could  not  yield  to  its  servile  position.  He  was  literally 
butchered  at  the  whipping-post,  to  break  liim  in.  About  a 
year  after  we  were  sold,  on  returning  at  night  faint  and  weary 
from  the  field,  I  found  him  in  an  old  out-house,  weltering  in 
blood.  As  I  called  his  name,  ho  feebly  opened  his  eyes  and 
asked  for  drink.  I  ran  for  water.  When  he  had  drank  he 
revived  somewliat,  and  said, 

" '  They've  killed  me,  William ;  pray  to  God  that  I  may 
meet  our  dear  mother  in  heaven.' 


COUSIN    franck's    household.  247 

"  I  tried  to  pray,  and  "Wallace  joined  audibly  and  fervently 
in  the  petition ;  but  when  I  arose  from  the  ground,  his 
troubled  spirit  had  fled.  O,  the  desolateness  of  that  hour !  I 
was  yet  beside  the  body,  when  my  master  arrived  from  Mo- 
bile, his  city  residence,  accompanied  by  a  stranger. 

"'Just  what  I  expected,'  exclaimed  he,  with  a  look  of 
regret,  when  he  saw  that  Wallace  was  dead ;  '  these  over- 
seers can't  break  the  youngsters  in,  without  killing  them. 
But  it's  no  eartlily  use  to  say  a  word ;  a  man  must  take  the 
world  as  he  finds  it.  Come,  Oglethorpe,  what  will  you  say 
for  WiUiam  ?  —  the  price  we  were  talking  about?' 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  the  stranger ;  '  and  I  regret  I  did  not  close 
the  bargain  before,  and  save  the  life  of  that  boy.' 

"  I  now  found  myself  transferi'ed  to  a  new  master,  and  was 
not  long  in  discovering  that  it  was  a  happy  change.  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  was  about  fifty  years  old,  and  unmarried.  He 
was  alone  in  the  world,  having  lost  every  near  relative  by 
death.  His  countenance  was  a  true  index  of  his  kind  and 
generous  heart.  He  was  hke  a  father  to  me ;  and  within  a 
short  time  gave  me  free  papers,  subsequently  adopted  me  as 
his  son,  and  removed  farther  North,  with  the  view  to  my 
education.  In  process  of  time  I  honorably  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Virginia,  and  then  accompanied  my  adopted 
father  to  Europe.  Dying  a  few  months  ago,  he  left  me  sole 
heir  to  a  princely  fortune ;  unencumbered,  however,  with 
slaves,  he  having  long  since  set  them  free. 

"  I  can  never  be  gi-ateful  enough  to  the  overruling  Hand 
that  took  me  from  the  grasp  of  slavery ;  neither  can  I  repay 


2i8  cousix    fuanck's    household. 

the  debt  more  properly,  than  by  spending  my  income  in 
freeing  my  enslaved  brethren,  and  in  educating  and  providing 
for  them  when  free.  But  there  is  the  steamer.  We  must 
part  for  the  present.  I  shall  soon  meet  you  at  the  North, 
where  a  happy  home,  I  trust,  awaits  us.  Let  me  hear  from 
you  immediately  on  your  arrival.  In  the  mean  while,  take 
this  purse ;  it  will  meet  all  present  contingencies." 

"  There  is  hardly  time  to  thank  you,"  said  Selma ;  "  but 
there  is  a  secret  which  you  should  know  before  we  separate. 
Our  father,  Henry  Hartley,  remembered  you  in  his  will, 
having  doubtless  learned  the  fact  of  your  freedom ;  but  after 
his  decease,  Regina,  discovering  the  supplement,  destroyed 
the  will,  as  she  supposed.  I  found  it  in  the  grate,  not  essen- 
tially injured,  and  immediately  enclosed  it  in  a  bottle,  and 
buried  it.  You  will  find  the  bottle  at  the  foot  of  the  Willow 
tree  that  overshadowed  the  green  cabin,  on  the  east." 

"  It  is  of  no  consequence,  —  I  shall  never  lay  claim  to  any 
part  of  Mrs,  Cameron's  ill-gotten  possessions,"  replied  Ogle- 
thorpe, bitterly.  "  But  how  came  Henry  Hartley  to  remem- 
ber me  in  his  will  ?  " 

"  People  generally  said  he  was  deranged,"  replied  Selma. 
At  this  moment  the  boat  stopped  at  the  landing,  and  he 
handed  his  sister  on  board,  Hannibal  and  Mima  following. 
In  a  moment  more  the  steamer  was  on  its  way. 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


LETTER    XIX. 

THE    WILL. 

Willow  Cueek,  Va.,  Oct.  1,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  It  was  nearly  sunrise  when  we  reached  home. 
Juniper  was  perfectly  nonplussed,  and  did  not  venture  a 
word  during  the  ride.  We  all  knew  he  would  soon  make 
up  this  want  of  volubility.  Ruth  and  I  were  nervously 
solicitous  that  he  keep  silence,  but  Mr.  Oglethorpe  was  quite 
easy  on  the  subject.  Indeed,  the  dark  cloud  seemed  to  have 
been  lifted  from  his  heart,  and  a  sunshine  let  in  to  which  he 
had  before  been  a  stranger. 

"  Juniper,"  said  cousin  Franck,  as  we  sat  down  to  break- 
fast, the  morning  of  our  return,  "  you  may  leave  the  room." 
"  That  servant,"  he  continued,  as  Juniper  disappeared,  ad- 
dressing Mr.  Oglethorpe,  with  an  agitation  of  manner  that  he 
vainly  endeavored  to  conceal,  "  is  so  full  of  deception,  that  I 
never  know  what  part  of  his  stories  to  believe.  Why,  he  as- 
sures me  that  he  found  Hannibal ;  that  he  started  in  pursuit ; 
that  you  went  with  him  to  help  take  the  fugitives ;  that,  on 
arriving  at  the  place  where  they  were  secreted,  you  joined 
lu'.nds  with  them,  and  leaving  him  fast  bound,  carried  them  to 
the  landing ;  but  of  course  I  don't  listen  to  such  nonsense ; " 


250  cousix    franck's    iiordr.iiOLD. 

and  cousin  Franck  laughed  faintly,  as  if  lie  thought  there 
might  be  some  shadow  of  truth  in  it. 

"  He  is  mainly  correct,"  said  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  as  coolly  as 
if  assenting  to  some  metaphysical  abstraction. 

"  I  cannot  believe  it,"  said  Regina,  excitedly.  Rosalie 
turned  pale. 

"  In  Juniper's  eagerness  to  set  out  on  so  commendable  an 
expedition,"  Mr.  Oglethorpe  continued,  "  what  does  he  do, 
but  propose  to  me  to  join  the  chase  ?  I  at  once  acceded,  with 
the  determination  of  doing  a  good  deed,  —  of  righting,  as  fxr 
as  possible,  a  very  great  wrong.  God  do  so  to  me,  and  more 
also,  if  I  help  not  him  that  hath  no  helper,  when  it  is  in  my 
power  to  do  so." 

Madam  Regina's  eyes  flashed.  Her  profound  reverence 
for  her  guest  was  plainly  fast  waning. 

"  Mr.  Oglethorpe,"  outspoke  Franck  Cameron,  "  you  are 
well  bred  in  the  usages  of  society ;  a  guest  in  the  enjoyment  of 
our  hospitalities  ;  and  yet,  Sir,  according  to  your  own  avowal, 
a I  will  not  ajiply  the  epithet  sir  —  but — " 

"  Allow  me,  Mr.  Cameron,  to  explain  myself  and  my  con- 
duct," replied  INIr.  Oglethorpe,  with  his  wonted  dignity. 
"  My  true  name  is  not  Oglethorpe,  but  Hartley.  I  am  the 
son  of  the  late  Henry  Hartley,  of  North  Carolina." 

"  The  son  of  Henry  Hartley ! "  vehemently  exclaimed 
Regina,  half  rising  from  her  chair  and  gesticulating  with  her 
lame  hand,  "you  lying  imposter!  my  father  had  no  other 
child  but  myself,  —  I  tell  you  I  am  his  only  heir  ! " 


COUSIN     FRANCk's     nOUSKUOLD.  2ol 

"  Did  not  your  father  have  four  slave  children  ?  "  calmly 
aiked  Mr.  Oglethorpe. 

"What  then,  Sir?"  exclaimed  Madam  Regina,  with  a 
dark  frown,  and  an  agitation  that  made  her  tremble  violently. 

"Your  father,  Mrs.  Cameron,"  added  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
"  executed  a  will  in  favor  of  one  of  his  slave  sons.  The  at- 
tempt to  destroy  that  will  was  unsuccessful ;  it  is  now  in  ex- 
istence ! " 

At  these  words,  Regina  became  ghastly  pale,  and  swooned 
in  her  chair.  Cousin  Franck,  Ruth  and  myself  hastened  to 
assist  her.  She  was  carried  to  her  room,  and  soon  revived. 
Franck  endeavored  to  calm  her  excitement,  and  expressed 
his  regret  that  she  had  allowed  her  feehngs  to  betray  her  into 
rude  language.  "  Besides,"  added  he,  "  it  is  possible  that  we 
may  be  in  Oglethorpe's  power.  I  confess  to  some  fears  that 
that  will  may  yet  make  us  more  trouble  ;  for  it  is  well  known 
that  such  a  will  was  left  by  the  old  man,  and  though  the  pub- 
lic voice  pronounced  him  crazy,  yet  it  might  not  be  so  easy 
to  establish  the  fact,  against  a  claimant  of  such  ample  re- 
sources. But  can  it  be  possible  that  that  will  is  still  in  exis- 
tence ?     Did  you  not  assure  yourself  of  its  destruction  ?  " 

"  Why  yes,  I  supposed  I  did,"  replied  Regina,  in  a  tone 
materially  depressed  from  its  late  wrathful  imperiousness  ; 
"  but  I  confess,  that,  beyond  throwing  it  into  the  fire,  I  gave 
myself  no  farther  concern,  as  I  had  not  the  least  idea  the  mat- 
ter would  ever  be  thought  of  again.  But  what  can  this 
mean?     Even  supposing  the  will  was  not  destroyed  at  the 


252  COUSIN    franck's    household.  '♦ 

time,  what  eartlily  possibility  is  there  of  its  being  in  existence 
after  this  long  lapse  of  years  ?  " 

"  I  Avill  talk  with  Oglethorpe  again  on  this  point,"  replied 
cousin  Franck.  "  But  do  you  remain  in  your  room.  Your 
health  requires  rest  and  quiet." 

Cousin  Franck  having  returned  to  the  diningroom,  in- 
quired of  Mr.  Oglethorpe  if  the  will  of  which  he  had  spoken 
was  in  his  possession. 

"  It  is  not,"  replied  that  gentleman ;  "  I  have  but  recently 
learned  its  existence,  and  the  place  of  its  deposit." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  you  have  not  been  hoaxed  ?  "  asked 
cousin  Franck. 

"  Without  more  delay,"  replied  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  "  I  will 
take  measures  to  ascertain  how  tke  matter  stands,  for  your 
satisfaction.     I  will  start  for  North  Carolina  to-morrow." 

"  And  if  you  wish  it,  I  will  accompany  and  assist  you  in 
your  researches,"  said  cousin  Franck. 

"  I  thank  you,  it  will  not  be  necessary,"  replied  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe ;  "  if  the  document  is  in  existence,  I  shall  have  no  dif- 
ficulty in  finding  it.  Let  me,  however,  assure  you  that  I  hold 
myself  resjionsible  for  the  full  price  of  the  escaped  servants, 
at  your  own  appraisal. 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 


-# 

*^T 


-'^■  -V** 


LETTER    XX, 


RUTH  S    SACRIFICE. 


Willow  Creek,  Va.,  Oct.  15,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Two  or  three  days  after  the  escape  of  the  ser- 
vants, Ferdinand  T.  paid  a  visit  to  Willow  Creek.  Ruth  was 
delighted  to  welcome  him ;  but  a  dark  trial  has  overshadowed 
the  joy  of  the  high-souled  girl.  Mr.  T.  felt  that  the  time  had 
axrived  when  he  ought  to  receive  the  answer  so  long  deferred. 
If  she  ever  consented  to  marry  him,  it  was  his  hope  she  would 
do  so  now.  In  entering  upon  such  a  relation,  she  clearly  saw 
what  was  before  her.  She  must  become  the  mistress  of  ser- 
vants for  life ;  and  although  the  struggle  between  conscience 
and  affection  well  nigh  rent  soul  and  body  asunder,  her  con- 
victions of  duty  were  triumi)hant.  With  a  breaking  heart, 
she  told  him  that  they  must  part  forever !  In  vain  were  his 
endeavors  to  change  her  resolution.  Ruth  could  not  yield  up 
her  sense  of  right,  and  he  could  not  consent  to  sacrifice  his 
social  position,  by  acceding  to  her  wishes  in  the  premises. 
Kind  and  generous  as  he  is  in  many  respects,  yet  in  depth  of 
conviction,  and  readiness  to  suffer,  he  is  far  enough  from  the 
martyr  standard. 

"  Henceforth,  life  will  be  a  desert  to  me,"  said  he,  as  he 
22 


254  COUSIN    fkanck's    nousEnOLD. 

took  her  hand  at  parting ;  "  it  might  have  been  a  Paradi 
Ruth  ventured  no  reply,  save, 

"  God  bless  you !  farewell ! "  She  then  came  up  to  my 
room,  and  watched  him  as  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode 
slowly  away.  She  did  not  weep,  —  her  grief  was  too  deep  for 
utterance. 

Yestex-day  was  Ruth's  birthday ;  she  being  eighteen  sum- 
mers old.  She  has  come  in  possession  of  her  estate,  in  ac- 
cordance with  a  proviso  in  her  father's  will.  It  is  a  time  of 
perplexity  and  embarrassment,  as  her  father-in-law,  mother, 
and  Rosahe  are  almost  incessantly  advising  her  to  waive  the 
purpose  she  has  formed  of  freeing  her  slaves.  Singular  as  it 
may  seem,  from  a  child  such  has  been  her  determination,  as 
soon  as  they  w^ere  hers  by  law.  The  family  interpose  so 
many  obstacles,  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  make  a  movement. 
She  is,  however,  firmly  resolved ;  only  waiting  a  day  or  two, 
to  be  assured  as  to  the  most  judicious  course. 

How  refreshing  it  is  to  see  one  wholly  intent  on  doing 
right !  Ruth  never  seemed  so  fascinating  and  lovely  as  now. 
Her  Heavenly  Father  is  choosing  her  in  the  furnace  of  af- 
fliction. She  has  now  relinquished  one  dearer  to  her  than 
life  itself;  the  approbation  of  her  friends  has  long  lain  a 
sacrifice  upon  the  altar. 

"  It  seems,"  said  she,  thoughtfully  and  teai-fuUy,  "as  if  I  now 
knew  the  meaning  of  the  passage,  'sorrowful  yet  rejoicing.' 
With  all  my  saddened  emotions,  I  have  great  peace  —  a  sweet 
consciousness  of  having  done  right.  I  shall  free  those  poor 
people  whom  tlie  law  falsely  calls  mine.     It  should  not  be 


cousix    fraxck's    nousEiioLD.  255 

deferred  one  day  even  ;  for  should  I  die,  they  must  wear  their 
chains  for  life.  Free  papers  must  be  made  out  at  once  ; "  and 
she  left  the  room  to  see  her  resolution  put  in  force. 

Rosalie  is  in  a  very  excited  state,  —  the  imatre  of  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  is  continually  before  her,  and  she  loves  to  think 
of  him  as  he  stood  in  her  esteem,  before  assisting  the  servar.ts 
in  their  audacious  escape.  She  insists  he  is  temporarily  in- 
sane, fancying  himself  the  son  of  Henry  Harney.  As  for  the 
will,  that  is  only  a  fabrication  of  his  diseased  brain  ! 

Cousin  Franck  has  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  dis- 
pirited daily.  He  often  walks  the  room  for  hours  together 
in  moody  silence.  It  is  evident  he  does  not  care  so  much  for 
the  loss  of  his  property,  but  every  new  trouble  has  seemed 
to  render  Regina  more  testy  and  ovei'bearing,  until  the 
poor  man  is  compelled  to  feel  that  he  is  only  a  convenient 
appendage  to  her  slave  establishment.  His  thoughts  more 
frequently  revert  to  the  home  of  his  childhood,  to  his  excel- 
lent mother,  whose  feelings  were  so  deeply  wounded  by  his 
connection  with  slavery.  I  verily  believe  the  old  homestead 
farm,  now  looks  to  him  like  an  Eden,  and  that  it  would  con- 
stitute his  highest  happiness  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days  on  its  free  soil,  and  amid  its  j)eaceful  scenes. 

Indeed,  shall  I  i^roclaim  my  enthusiastic  folly?  Well, 
don't  laugh  at  me,  —  but  I  have  already  written  a  letter  to 
aunt  Clara,  suggesting  the  possibility  that  her  misguided,  but 
still  loved  and  only  son,  might  be  induced  to  return  to  the 
North.  How  would  it  relieve  me,  if  I  could  see  Philip  Au- 
gustus, "Washington  and  little  Clara,  dehvered  from  the  de- 


H 


256  COUSIN    franck's    household. 


moralizing  influences  of  slavery,  and  subjected  to  the  plastic 
force  of  aunt  Clara's  firm  but  gentle  hand ! 

We  often  hear  from  Isabel  T.,  —  she  is  soon  to  be  married 

to  a  wealthy  planter.     Her  friends  are  generally  delighted, 

and  congratulate  her  on  her  brilliant  prospects.      I  would 

rather  a  thousand  times  be  in  the  condition  of  our  dear  Ruth 

Adieu, 

Pocahontas 


m 


■J 


LETTER    XXI. 

THE     ADJUSTMENT ITS     RESULT. 

"WiLLOAv  Creek,  Oct.  24,  18 — . 

Dear  S.  —  Mr.  Oglethorpe  returned  tliree  days  ago. 
You  may  be  sure  tlie  interest  in  our  houseliold  was  most  in- 
tense. Even  the  servants  participated  m  it.  They  had 
heard  now  and  then  a  word  dropped  which  set  their  combus- 
tible hearts  on  fire.  Almost  any  change  in  the  fortunes  of 
the  family  is  sure  to  aifect  their  condition  either  favorably  or 
adversely ;  and  these  poor  creatures,  hke  the  unfortunate  al- 
ways, are  too  apt  to  feel  as  if  a  change  necessarily  involved  a 
good.  In  the  present  case,  however,  their  most  sanguine  an- 
ticipations bid  fan-  to  be  more  than  realized. 

For  the  first  two  days  after  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  return,  he 
was  shut  up  most  of  the  time  —  the  first  day  indeed  until  after 
midnight,  —  in  close  privacy  with  cousin  Franck  and  Regina. 
Of  course,  I  am  not  able  to  furnish  the  particulars  of  what 
transpired,  excepting  that  the  singed  and  cnxmpled  will  was 
produced,  and  a  large  pile  of  attested  documents  bearing  on 
the  case.  During  the  first  day,  Regina,  whenever  she  ap- 
peared, exhibited  evidence  of  most  intense  excitement.  Yes- 
terday, though  the  excitement  had  not  disappeared,  yet  she 


258  COUSIN    franck's    household. 

seemed  like  another  woman.  In  truth,  my  sympathies  were 
strongly  enlisted  for  her,  her  pride  and  passion  which  had 
towered  so  loftily  of  late,  appearing  so  broken  and  subdued. 
I  really  think  that  her  conscience  has  for  some  time  been 
violently  disturbed,  and  that  her  internal  struggles  have  been 
the  source  of  much  of  her  overbearing  and  passionate  de- 
meanor. Her  feelings  have  plainly  been  in  a  moral  crisis. 
Of  course,  I  cannot  say  hoAV  radical  or  permanent  the  change 
may  be,  but  I  hope  for  the  best,  for  she  now  confesses  to  a 
deep  sense  of  wrong,  and  has  assented  to  cousin  Franck's 
making  such  arrangement  in  relation  to  the  estate,  as  he  and 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  can  agree  upon. 

In  fact,  matters  have  been  definitely  and  amicably  settled 
this  afternoon,  and  in  such  a  way  as  I  know  will  give  you  as 
much  joy  as  it  has  Ruth  and  myself. 

Cousin  Franck  relinquishes  the  estate  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
with  its  debts  and  incumbrances,  and  receives  in  return  a  sum 
sufficient  for  the  purchase  of  a  first  rate  New-England  farm, 
—  in  fact,  a  full  equivalent.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  was  anxious  to 
bring  about  this  result,  as  it  would  enable  him  not  only  to 
free  the  slaves,  but  to  draw  his  sister  Regina  with  her  family 
from  the  pestiferous  atmosphere  of  the  South. 
Adieu, 

Pocahontas. 

P.  S.  Oct.  26.  I  have  detained  this  letter  a  few  days, 
until  I  could  comrauniQate  something  definite  as  to  our  re- 
moval.    Yesterday  we  received  two  lettei's  from  the  North, — 


COUSIN    fraxck's    uolsi;iiold.  259 

% 

one  from  Seliaa,  giving  an  account  of  her  safe  arrival  in  Am- 
herstburg,  Canada,  the  house  of  Fayett.  Our  hearts,  I  assure 
you,  have  been  made  glad.  Even  cousin  Franck  and  Regina 
sympatliize  witli  us  in  our  joy.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  often 
find  myself  saying  to  Ruth,  "  Is  it  not  all  a  delicious  dream, 
cousin?"  But  the  dear  girl,  so  deeply  religious  in  all  her 
feelings  and  views,  is  calm  in  her  highest  joy,  and  loves  to 
dwell  on  the  words, 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
Ilis  wonders  to  perform."         >■ 

The  other  letter  was  from  aunt  Clara,  inviting  the  family 
to  visit  the  old  homestead,  and  expressing  the  wish  that  they 
might  be  willing  to  make  it  their  permanent  home.  It  is 
already  decided  to  leave  for  the  North  one  week  from  to- 
morrow. Mr.  Oglethorpe,  however,  will  remain  until  he  has 
settled  up  affaii-s  here,  and  wiU.  then,  without  further  delay, 
rejoin  us  around  aunt  Clara's  hearth  stone.  The  arrange- 
ments subsequent  to  that,  you  will  of  course  know,  without 
any  further  Virginia  letters.  I  will  just  add,  however,  that 
wherever  Mr.  Oglethorpe  fixes  his  beautiful  New-England 
home,  Selma  will  constitute  one  of  its  noblest  attractions,  and 
Hannibal,  it  is  intended,  shall  be  intimately  associated  with  it. 

Until  I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  our  peer- 
less Ruth,  Adieu.  P. 

FINIS. 


r^ 


3692 


.  ,;.   iLlTY 


Xa!      000  251903    1 


